Inside Your Heaven

Chapter 1: Before He Cheats

A/N: This story is a way to link together two of my favorite things - music and Castle. Each chapter is titled with a song and a lyric is given before the start of each. The song used for the chapter gave me the idea for the story and is based on that particular song. BUT it is still a Castle fic and the songs are just my inspiration. Give it a chance :) Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing

"I might've saved a little trouble for the next girl, 'cause the next time that he cheats...Oh, you know it won't be on me." ~Carrie Underwood

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Officer Kate Beckett entered her small, uptown apartment late Friday night  after a long and tiring day working a case in Vice.  All she really wanted to do was run a hot bubble bath with her favorite book and a glass of red wine.  She fumbled with her key and impatiently opened the door.

As she crossed the threshold of her apartment, she looked around and sensed that something wasn't right.  Her mind conjured up every possibility and the only attainable one was that Josh, her live-in boyfriend, used his key to get in because he had forgotten something that he needed for work. Maybe he accidentally knocked something over and it broke? Highly unlikely.  He said that he was working the night shift tonight and wouldn't make it home until morning, so he can't be here.  Following her cop instincts, she pulled the glock from its resting place on her hip and began to survey every room.

She quickly cleared both the living room and the kitchen and continued on towards her bedroom.  Back pressed against the wall and being as quiet as physically possible, she slowly opened the door.  When she heard nothing coming from inside, she raised her pistol and entered the room in one sweeping motion. 

All at once, the gun dropped to the floor and Josh Davidson sprung up from the bed.  The blonde bimbo laying next to him was as much evidence as Officer Beckett needed to know exactly what was going on there.

"Leave. Now," she scowled at them.

That's all it took for the women fly out of the bed.  Still wrapped in the sheets, she scrambled to grab all her belongings and run out of the door.

She looked back at Josh and he was dressed and all ready to leave.  "Wait," she whispered.  Tears pricked the back of her eyes, but she would not let him see her like that.  She swallowed back the lump in her throat and slowly raised her head to look him in the eye.  What she saw there was no emotion.  No regret. No guilt. No sadness. Nothing. Not a damn thing.

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Kate..." He trailed off.  "Just... Just give me a chance to explain."

"Explain?!" she shouted.  She wasn't upset or sad now, she was furious.  After what he did to her, now he wanted to explain.  She didn't even want to give him the time of day, let alone the time to explain.

"Yes... Just please lis-"

"No, Josh!" she cut him off.  "I don't want to listen to any of your lame excuses!  We've been together for two years! We live together, for God's sake! What more did you want?!  Tell me, what was it? Were you bored with me?  Was I not good enough anymore?"

She just stared at him with a glare that made him shrink in his spot and he didn't know what to say to her.  Agonizing seconds of silence passed between them before he'd formulated an answer, "That girl, Kate, that girl meant nothing to me.  It was mistake... A mistake that I will forever be sorry for.  You're my girl, my only girl, and I love you so much, babe. Please..."

Kate felt a lurching in her stomach and it took every ounce of power she had not to pick up the gun at her feet. She couldn't believe, didn't believe, what he just said to her.

"Love me?" she said, her voice barely audible over the pounding of her heart. "If you loved me, we wouldn't be in this situation!  If you loved me, I wouldn't have found you in bed with another woman!" She yelled while beginning to pace around the room.  She had to get out; he had to get out. She found the door handle and slammed the bedroom door shut behind her as she stormed away.  She couldn't  even stand to see his face.

She was in the living room hunched over the end table trying to calm herself when she heard the door slowly open and saw Josh walk out.  In those silent moments, the tension between them grew faster and she had to get him out of there before she completely broke down.

She picked up the framed picture of them that was resting beneath her and raised it to show him.  Calmly she said, "If you loved me, I wouldn't look at this picture and cringe.  If you loved me, Josh, I wouldn't think this whole relationship was a lie.  Leave." she finished.  "Right now. And give me your key."

Realization washed over his face.  He finally saw what had happened there.  Slowly he began to move towards the front door, grabbing some of his things on his way out and handing her the key.  Before he knew what he was doing, he opened the door and started to leave Kate Beckett behind him.  With one last attempt, he turned around in the open door way, "Please forgive me," he begged.

Something snapped inside of Kate and his simple statement infuriated  her.  She didn't have time to calm down before she flung the picture frame she was holding right at him.  It was centimeters away from his face when he ducked  out of the way and the glass shattered on the wall behind him.  It made her feel better, and most importantly it got him to leave.  That was all that really mattered to her.

Kate moved to shut the door before she slid down the wall and finally let her emotions take full control of her.