Disclaimer: Not mine. Honestly, I don't want them. lol
Summary: Kate takes Castle out for a day together. No spoilers, except a nod toward the Spirit of the Season fic lms2457 and I wrote together. :)
A/N: I did this for my bestie, because I wanted to, and I think it surprised her. And for the record, you'll probably not see another piece like this from me... it's honestly not to my taste. lol However, I do how you do get a kick out of it!
You'll have to pretend this is me sending you a coffee. I made a mess trying to send it through the wires...
The sun had barely come over the horizon, and Kate stood over Castle's deeply sleeping form. She had already set aside the tray with the plate of s'morletes and coffee, just so she could shake him by the shoulders more forcefully.
"Come on, Castle, get up!" she said for the... oh,hell, she'd lost count... and her patience was wearing thin. "You'll never see my cuffs again if you don't wake up. RIGHT NOW."
"Okay, Mother, five more minutes," he mumbled, and tried to roll over, but Kate stopped him.
"NO, Castle, it's me, Kate. WAKE UP. I have plans for you."
His eyes opened slightly, and there was a hint of a smile on his lips. "Kinky. Wait... no cuffs? What did I do now?"
Kate rolled her eyes. And he'd called her maddening and frustrating. "Just forget it, and eat. I thought we could spend the day together, but if you're this intent on sleeping in, we can just forget it."
Castle sat up and pulled in a deep breath of air. "I'm sorry I've been difficult this morning, Kate, but I'm up now. What's the plan?"
She smiled as she moved the tray in front of him. "Breakfast first, then we'll get started."
"All right, I can do that." He took a bite of the eggs and his eyes widened, "S'morlete? You said you'd never..."
"Today's a special day," she interrupted, "just, you know, EAT."
"Okay, okay. This is awesome, by the way," he said through another mouthful.
Kate took her coffee and drank it while he finished. It seemed to take him forever to eat and get his clothes together, but then, she had a lot on her mind. While he showered, she moved into the living room and gathered a few items together, stashing them in the zippered pockets of her jacket.
Eventually, Castle stepped into the room, his hair still damp and sticking up in places while he buttoned his shirt. "So... what's the plan, and why so early?"
She walked over, wrapping her arms around his waist as she kissed him. When they parted, she said, "The plan is for me to know, and it's early, because I want to have as much time with you today as possible."
His brow furrowed a little, like he was trying to put the pieces together of a mystery, but she knew he had very few pieces to work with. "Don't stress over it, Castle. It's just a day for us. You don't have to make everything into a mystery for you to solve."
"Oh, but life is so much more interesting that way," he said, then kissed her again. "Like, I see you have your motorcycle jacket on." His eyes lit up like a child at Christmas. "Are we going for a ride?!"
"Yes, and we're going to the park. So..." she pulled away from him, missing his touch almost instantly. "Are you coming?"
"What kind of question is that?" He was right on her heels as she walked out of the loft and locked the door behind them. "I'll follow you anywhere."
The day was beautiful. There were plenty of people at the park, but it wasn't overly crowded. It was perfect for what Kate had in mind. She and Castle walked several of the trails and enjoyed the musicians they passed by. It was such a relaxed day, something entirely opposite from any day at the precinct.
He never asked anymore questions, just let the day pass. However, it wasn't lost on her how he looked at her from time to time, still trying to figure things out.
Eventually, they found a playground, and Kate led him to the swings. Castle smiled and went with her, taking the swing to her right. They laughed and joked for a long time and ignored the odd looks from others that walked past.
"Hey, look at her," Castle pointed at a little blonde girl turning flips on a bar several yards away from them. "I remember when Alexis was little, probably about six, and I'd help her onto the bar, then she would do that. Her face would turn so red, and I'd bribe her with ice cream to get her back down."
He stopped for a moment and looked at her, "It's strange, seeing this, and it seems like it was just yesterday she was so small..."
Kate loved it when he opened up and told her things like this, but she didn't need him to go all empty-nest on her right now. She saw one of the taller bars was empty, and decided to distract him.
"Hey, um, Kate? What are you doing?"
He was already right behind her, and something about his sudden concern almost made her laugh. She loved this more than she really should. "Nothing that should worry you, Castle."
She grabbed the bar and swung her feet up, catching the bar behind her knees. Once she was settled, she let go and waved him closer. - It was great. - She was at the perfect height so when he was on his knees, they were at eye level.
"I've got something for you..." Kate started, then unzipped one of the pockets of her jacket. A small package promptly fell out, and she juggled it several times, almost dropping it to the ground before she finally caught it.
Castle laughed, "Now, that, I haven't seen before. Where did you learn that trick?"
"More layers to the Beckett onion, Stud. Here," she opened the box and turned it upside-down (to her), "And the way you can bribe me off this bar is by saying yes."
He stopped laughing, and for a moment, Kate thought he might pass out. "Wh-what? You're-?"
"Yes, I'm-" He cut her off with a kiss. And it was a long one, so she had to push him away, "I can't breathe, Castle. You need to give me an answer."
"You are an interesting shade of red, so I suppose I have no choice but to save your life. Again." She could see the tears glittering in his eyes. He took the box out of her hands and helped her off the bar as he answered, "Yes, Kate, I'll marry you."
Once she was on her feet, he took the ring out of the box and looked at it. On the front, was engraved the symbol of the Green Lantern, and inside the ring was the word Always. "This is so awesome!"
Kate took it from him and slipped it onto his left ring finger as she kissed him. "I thought you'd like it, and it looks good on you."
"But how did you know my size?"
She laughed and smacked him on the shoulder, "Do you know how hard it is to wake you up? I just slipped a sizing paper around your finger while you slept. It was easy."
He took his hand in hers, "So this was your big plan for the day?"
"Part of it," she admitted, "The rest is up to you. Want to go back to FAO Schwartz for a Nerf re-match?"
Castle squeezed her hand and looked at his ring again. "That sounds great, but when we get there, let's buy a laser tag uniform for you. I bet they make them with purple lights now."
She let him take the lead and listened as he talked on and on. Yeah, he was her geek. All of him.