Disclaimer: I do not own anything referred here.
"Look at the stars
Look how they shine for you
And everything you do"
- "Yellow" by Coldplay
"Castle, where are you taking me?"
He was gently guiding her by her elbow through the double doors and into the slightly cold ice skating rink.
"Can I take this stupid blindfold now?"
"It's not stupid, Kate. That blind fold as the purpose of keeping you from cheating and let my surprise be a surprise. Now hush, we're almost there."
She muttered something under her breath, but kept moving with him, letting him guide her to exactly where he wanted her.
Castle stopped at the little gate that led to the actual rink and made her walk backwards until her legs hit the benches behind her He made her sit down and he took a sharp breath in.
This was it.
He nodded to the guy in the booth that controlled the lights on the rink and suddenly it rained down on it light tones of red, blue, yellow and green.
He was nervous. He was beyond nervous. Nervous would be an understatement.
"Ready?" he asked.
"I was ready the second you blindfolded me." she threw back.
"Okay." he breathed more to himself than to her.
He moved to one side, so he wouldn't block her view. He wanted the rink, with the lights dancing on the ice, to be the first thing she saw.
He carefully untied the knot that kept the blindfold in place and held his breath, waiting for her reaction. He didn't really had a plan B so if plan A blew up he would be screwed.
Her eyes landed on the ice skating rink and a breathless "Oh!" fell from her lips.
She turned to him with a childlike awe that eased his mind. He let the breath he'd been holding out.
"Oh, Castle. This is so beautiful."
She liked it, she liked it, she liked it, his heart sang happily.
He produced her old ice skates from a bag, that he had asked the tech guy, who was controlling the lights, to keep in that exact spot.
"So, can I interest you in some ice skating, detective?"
She turned back to him and a breathless laugh escaped when she saw her bright neon ice skates. She reached for them and hold them to her chest.
"Where did you even found this?"
"Asked your dad." he said with a smile.
She huffed, pretending she was annoyed, but he could see the smile that she was forcing not to slip out.
"I told you that I'm horrible at this, Castle."
"I don't believe you."
She raised an eyebrow at him.
"I'm serious. I'm not good at this."
"And I don't believe you. You should get on that rink and prove me wrong."
She rolled her eyes, but took off her shoes and started putting on her ice skates. He grinned and followed suit, sitting beside her and putting his ice skates on.
He was amazed by her. She truly sucked at this.
He was loving it. And he didn't even cared how bad that sounded because Kate Beckett that was always so graceful in everything she did, from dancing to take down a suspect twice her size, she was really bad at ice skating.
She couldn't keep her balance and that made her arms fly everywhere so she could keep upright. She reminded him of a young deer trying to take its first steps.
He skated beside her, with a supporting hand on her elbow that caught her every single time right before she could fall.
After a while she huffed at him and grabbed the fences that surrounded the rink and stopped skating, throwing him a annoyed look.
"I told you I was bad at this."
He laughed at her and came for her, easily skating across the distance and stopping right beside her.
"Stop laughing at me." she huffed again, which only made him laugh more.
"Come one, I'll teach you."
He took a hold of both of her hands and kissed her cold nose.
He started ice skating backwards and taking her with him.
"Come on, Kate. It's easy. One feet after the other. Push yourself forward." she faltered a step and almost fell on her face, but he caught her and got her upright again. "Not like that. Just give a little impulse. Come one, Kate."
She frowned in concentration. That little cute wrinkle between her eyebrows, her lips tight and her nose just slightly wrinkled. Adorable.
"Concentrate on me, Kate. Look at me." And she did. Lifting her eyes from her feet and focusing on his blue eyes. He gave her his best encouraging smile. She smiled back, all open mouth and tongue peeking out. So beautiful with the play of lights on her face.
This was the image he would carry around with him.
"Hey, I'm doing it!" she said in pure delight.
"Of course you are." he stated proudly.
She looked down at her feet and tripped again, but got back on the steady rhythm she was in.
He stopped skating making her bump into him. He smiled proudly and kissed her nose again, and then both her cheeks and then her mouth. And he kissed her with all he had. With all the love an adoration and happiness, because here they were. So far down the road. So... together, that it amazed him every single time. That they were really doing this. That they were in this together.
After a while she had already caught the hang of it and was skating around with confidence, not needing his hands hovering or guiding her but keeping him close anyway.
"Do you trust me?" he asked suddenly.
She sucked in a breath, surprised by the question, but promptly let it out. She gave him one of those slow smiles that made him beam back. Because that's how pathetically in love he was with Kate Beckett. And he didn't even cared.
"Of course I trust you."
"Stay there."
He skated to the middle of the rink and made a subtle sign to the guy helping him out.
"Okay, run to me as fast as you can."
"What?! No! You're going to make both of us fall, Castle."
"Do you trust me?" he asked again.
"Yes, but-"
"No buts. Just skate to me as fast as you can."
She took a deep breath and looked at him for a moment, probably searching for something. Some indication that she shouldn't do it. But he didn't wavered. He stayed strong under her examination.
She nodded slowly and then started skating towards him.
"Okay, when I say, jump."
"What?"
"Jump!"
And she did, probably because she was so surprised by it and she didn't knew what else to do.
But it was okay. He got her.
"I got you, Kate." he whispered.
He was holding her by the waist and she was looking at him with that glint in her eyes. The same she had when she was pleasantly surprised by him.
And then the colored lights went out.
Kate seemed startled for a minute until he whispered "Look up."
When she did, there was a million little lights in the pitch black ceiling. It was like having their own, private starry night.
"Oh, wow." she breathed out.
He slowly let her slide down until her bright skates touched the rink, but he didn't let her go anywhere. He still had both his arms tightly wrapped around her waist, holding her to him. She didn't seem to want to leave her position either, with both arms drawn up to his chest and her head facing up so she could see the stars.
The tech guy had put some lights on the floor that would give them enough light to skate but not enough to outshine their stars. So they kept skating for a while.
He was delaying it, really. Making himself gain time. Man up, Rick!
He stopped them again and looked at her face.
"You're beautiful." he blurted out, still watching the childlike joy in her eyes.
She gave him a soft smile.
"You're not so bad yourself, Castle."
And then she gave him one of those kisses on the lips and he cold feel her smile against his mouth.
It gave him the courage he needed to do this.
"Are you nervous? Your hands are sweating."
He gave her a week smile.
"You like my books right?"
"Fishing for compliments?" she teased, but then she realized how serious he was and nodded her head.
"Okay, Kate. I'm going to write you a scene, because really I don't know how to do this." He took a deep breath and started "There was tiny lights above them, all of them shining down on her and making her face light up with a smile almost childlike. Adorable and so strong at the same time. And he was struck speechless by her. He had planned on this beautiful speech. He had memorized it, but know looking at her, he couldn't remind a single word of what he had written. So he did the best he could with what he got. He kissed her nose." Castle stopped talking and kissed her nose "He kissed her cheeks." he said kissing both her cheeks "And then he kissed her mouth lightly, because he knew if he kissed her for any longer her would completely lost track of his train of thought."
He kissed her mouth then. Lightly, like he had said he would. Because Kate Beckett hated surprises and he wanted to let her know in advance all of his moves. So she wouldn't say yes just because he had startled her into it.
"And then he got down on one knee. Told her how much he loved her and asked the big question."
He got down on one knee and with shaky fingers took the ring box from his jacket pocket "I think I might be repeating myself a little here, but Kate Beckett, you're extraordinary and I love you. Always." he looked at her surprised expression, at the way her mouth fell open in a perfect 'O' and her eyes seemed to shine a little brighter. And then he said the four little words that could change his world "Would you marry me?"
He popped the lid of the box open, exposing to the shimmering lights above, the simple titanium ring with diamonds built-in in it. Thousands of them, just shining up at her. It was simple and it was just flashy enough. At least, he thought so. He hoped so.
Kate was biting on her lip and then the most beautiful smile came upon her face and she breathed the word. Just quiet and loud enough for him to hear, her voice shaking a little.
"Yes."
Yes!
And he took her right hand and slowly slid the ring in her ring finger.
He got back to his feet and kissed her fiercely, because Kate Beckett had just said yes to being his. Being his forever, in sickness and ill, 'till dead do us part.
And then, she started murmuring the word between kisses over and over and over again. Like a chant. Like a prayer.
And it was right there, under their shimmering star lights of the ice skating rink that Kate Beckett became his. And he couldn't be happier. His heart was beating wildly wanting to go out of his chest and just fly around, bouncing with joy and so much love. So much love.
She interrupted the kiss to get a proper look at the ring.
"Like the stars." she breathed out.
"Look how they shine for you and everything you do."