Because I've written two other versions of how the beginning of the season might go, and I felt like writing something a little less angsty. Beta by Andy :)

Disclaimer: Castle isn't mine. And neither are the words from the promo. I'm just borrowing them for a little while.

Unexpected

"Oh my God, you're proposing?"

He rises to his feet in shock at her reaction, jerking backwards almost as though he's been burned. He'd hoped she'd say yes, couldn't suppress the horrible possibility that she might say no. But he hadn't expected, well, this.

"I..." Kate stammers, mind whirling, everything jumbled together in her head as she tries to reconcile what she'd thought he was about to say with the words that actually just came out of his mouth. "I thought..."

"What?" he snaps. It's harsher than he would have liked but he did just ask the most important question of his life and he hasn't received anything even remotely resembling an answer, so he supposes he's allowed to be a bit on edge.

"The things you were saying. I thought...that you were breaking up with me," she whispers sadly, the words hurriedly falling together in what she hopes is a complete sentence.

"You thought...? God, Kate, I love you," he confesses desperately.

She opens her mouth to speak, but she's caught off-guard by the brokenness of his voice and so gutted from the last two days of fighting that she doesn't even know what to say.

He slumps then, shoulders hunching, head dipping forward, eyelids falling closed in defeat. Kate's heart clenches as she watches it wash over him, because he looks so resigned, so devastated, and it's all because of her.

When he finally speaks, it's not a question. "You came here to break up with me."

"No," she chokes out uncontrollably.

She came here to tell him that she'd been offered the job. That she wanted to accept. And she'd known that would inevitably lead to a discussion of them, of where they stood and where they were headed. It had crossed her mind that he may not be supportive of her decision, that he might break up with her. But she'd never even considered ending things with him.

"Castle," she says softly. She steps forward, reaches out to cradle both his hands in her own. The cool platinum band and sharp edges of the diamonds press into her palm, and her heart clenches at the feeling of the ring against her skin. The ring that he bought for her. Because he wants to marry her.

Wow.

Her head is spinning so fast she has no idea which way is up anymore.

But the touch grounds her, reminds her of why she's here, of what needs to be said. She drops her vision to their joined hands, steels herself before slowly lifting her eyes to seek out his gaze.

"There's something I have to tell you."

"You got the job," he answers, not even giving her a chance to speak. It's not like it comes as a surprise, at least not to him. From the shocked look on her face, however, it appears as though she found the offer to be rather unexpected.

"How did you know?"

He shrugs, tries not to show how deeply he aches right now, how painfully desperate he is to receive an answer to his question, to know that she's as serious, as committed to this as he is. The air is heavy and her touch is cloying and he feels like he can't breathe, like his own words are suffocating him.

But she's clearly expecting an answer, so he digs down, forces the words out. "Because it's you."

She gapes at him.

"Did you really think you wouldn't get the job?"

"No," she exclaims. "I didn't. That's why I didn't tell you about it in the first place."

"Then why bother to apply?"

"I wanted to see where I stood," Kate admits. It's not the entire answer, but it's not untrue either. On a professional level, she was curious.

"Do you..." he clears his throat, tries again. "Is that what you want? A federal job?"

"I never thought I did," she begins slowly, eyes falling once again to their hands, to the connection between them. One that she fears may end with her answer, and she subconsciously holds on a little tighter. "But it's a fantastic opportunity and," her gaze lifts to his, determined yet gentle, "I want to accept."

"I see," he says flatly, and Kate catches the pure anguish in his eyes in the split second before he averts his gaze.

"Castle," she whispers, squeezing his hand, drawing his eyes back up to hers. It's a long moment before they open, but when they do, she can tell he thinks he's already figured out her answer. And it's not the one she's intending to give. "I want to go to DC," she says again. "But I want to say yes to you as well."

His eyes widen in surprise at her words, and everything he was planning to say, all the emotions threatening to spill out, come to an abrupt halt.

Because he wants to marry her. And apparently, she wants that too. The only thing he's having trouble with is figuring out why she wants to say yes but hasn't actually done so.

"So what's stopping you?" he probes. It's a big risk but he hopes it will pay off.

"I don't know how to do this."

"How to say yes?" He's not following her logic.

She squeezes his hand. "How to have this and DC."

"You don't think you can have both?"

"I'll have to move," she points out and, really, that's the least of the potential complications.

"So I'll go with you," he says with a shrug, as though it's obvious. He's not keen on the idea, but given the choice between her leaving or him going with her, he'd prefer option two.

"Castle, you have a family to think about."

"You do realize that saying yes would mean you'd be a part of that family, right?"

"But I..." she begins, the words refusing to properly align themselves as that particular thought crosses her mind for the first time. "Alexis and...and your mother. The loft."

"Alexis is in college now," Castle justifies. Besides, it's not like he'll sell the loft. He's more than able to afford to keep it, travel back and forth as he pleases. It can be a second home, a place for his daughter and mother, somewhere for he and Kate to relax when they just need to get away. "And I know it's shocking but mother is perfectly capable of living on her own."

"You're willing to just...give all of that up?"

She cringes as the words leave her mouth, hating that she's already asked so much of him and yet he's still willing to make these sacrifices for her. Hates that if he follows her to DC, she'll be the one responsible for pulling him away from his family, uprooting the life that he's lived for so long.

But on the other hand, she's grown so used to sharing a bed, morning coffee and goodnight kisses and everything else that comes with practically living together. And it's selfish, but she doesn't want to give that up.

"I admit, I love the thought of us here in New York, living together at the loft," Castle concedes, tearing her from her thoughts. "But, Kate..." His eyes bore into hers, so deep and serious, pools of never-ending blue. "I love you. And I want you to be happy. So if that means you move to DC then...we'll make it work."

She gapes at him and he furrows his brow, taken aback by her expression.

"What?"

"I just...you make it seem so easy."

He shrugs. "When I'm with you...it is."

She rolls her eyes but the smile that splits her face can't be suppressed.

"Cheesy, Castle."

"But you lo..." he trails off awkwardly, the end of the sentence caught in his throat. Because she's said the words before. Once. And he thinks she's almost said them a couple of other times as well. But it was always when they were in danger. And now he suddenly finds himself stunned at the realization that he just proposed to a woman who...

"I do love you," she says in a low voice, barely more than a whisper. But it's enough to put an end to his spiral of thoughts. Her thumbs trace tender lines over the backs of his hands as her gaze locks with his, soft and open. "So much, Castle."

He closes his eyes, breathes an audible sigh of relief.

"It scares me sometimes," Kate admits then, in a rare moment of openness and pure, unbridled honesty. She loosens her grip on his right hand, gently unfurls his fingers to reveal the shimmering ring encapsulated in his palm. His eyes follow her movements, rise to seek out hers, so dark and certain. "But I guess that's how you know it's right."

"Are you...?" he breathes, hardly daring to hope. Pleading blue eyes search hers as her lips once again part into a broad smile.

Kate chokes out a sound that's somewhere between a laugh and a sob, can do nothing more than nod frantically. The word is stuck in her throat and it's only one syllable but she can't seem to push it past the emotion that's overflowing from every part of her. Because this - the knowledge that he's serious about them. That he wants this future for them. It's what she's been searching for for weeks now, the assurance she's so desperately needed.

"Yes."

When it finally escapes, it's barely more than a whisper, so easily carried away by the breeze, disappearing amongst the sounds of the city moving around them. But Castle hears nothing else, her answer the only thing that matters.

He's on her then, both hands rising to cup her jaw as his lips descend on hers in a fierce kiss. Kate kisses him back gently, an attempt to tame the edges of anger and desperation and pain that she can feel in his touch.

They separate briefly for air and she takes the opportunity to pull away just slightly, leaning her forehead against his as she fights to calm her racing heart. Castle takes a step back, trails his fingertips across the ridges of her cheekbones as his arms fall in search of her left hand. Kate can't tear her eyes away from the ring as he slides it onto her finger, beautiful diamonds shimmering up at her, each tiny facet catching the light and collectively glittering like a hundred rainbows.

She's wearing Castle's ring. She's engaged.

Wow.

It's...overwhelming, to say the least.

But in a good way.

There are tears blurring her vision as she lifts her eyes back to his, but even through the moisture she can see the smile on his face, the joy in his eyes.

He reaches for her again, snagging her around the waist with one arm, tugging her into him, and her arms fall to his shoulders as she kisses him, gentle and so full of love. He can feel it pouring out of her, wrapping around them, and for all the tension, the lies, the doubts, in this moment it all seems so inconsequential. She's bubbling with happiness and he's almost giddy and suddenly nothing else matters except for kissing her, holding her in his arms, taking her back to the loft and showing her just how much he loves her.

They have a lot to work out still – the fallout from this week of fighting, living arrangements to sort out, balancing an engagement with her new job and planning a wedding. It's never been easy for them and he doesn't expect that to change. Arguments, fights, his days of scratching and clawing - they're far from over.

But he'll keep at it. He'll never stop.

Because he wants to spend the rest of his life with Katherine Beckett.

And she said yes.

END

Thoughts?