Kate paced around her living room, waiting for Rick to show up. She called him and asked him to come over, stressing how important it was and that she couldn't do it over the phone and it definitely couldn't wait until the next day at work. She knew if she waited any longer, her nerve would disappear.

Everything had been going amazing with them but just when they seemed to fall into step with how fast their relationship should be progressing, he started putting on the breaks. They'd had several midnight conversations in bed about their future but hadn't gotten further than agreeing they both wanted their futures to be together before he kissed her goodnight and rolled over to go to sleep.

It scared her that he seemed to lose interest in the idea of someday getting married. Maybe because the word marriage was never really used, just a vague idea of forever. She had no idea what forever was though. Her forever could end tomorrow.

She bit her lip, checking her watch. It normally took him about 20 minutes to get to her apartment from his, depending on the traffic which in the city was unpredictable. When she was sure her watch hadn't stopped, she continued pacing. Her mind raced, knowing she should be using this time to think about what she'd say to him but she couldn't organize her thoughts.

She drew in a deep breath, running a hand through her hair. She checked her watch once more. Just as she was about to grab her phone to call the hospital to see if there had been any car accidents, there was a knock at her door. She opened it to let Rick in, ignoring the concerned look on his face.

"Hey. You said you needed to talk," he said as he walked into her apartment, closing the door behind him.

"Yeah," she said, nodding as she rubbed the back of her neck. "Maybe you should sit down."

He took a deep breath, worried about her nervous demeanor. In his experience nothing good ever came out of 'we need to talk' or 'you should sit for this'. "I think I'd rather stand."

"Ok, fine. Just… don't interrupt, ok? This is big and I feel like my head is about to explode and if you interrupt, I won't do this right."

"Won't do what right?"

"What did I just say about interrupting?"

"Technically, I didn't interrupt because you haven't begun yet."

"Castle," she groaned, closing her eyes. "Please."

"Ok, ok. I'm sorry. Just… say what you need to. I promise, I won't interrupt."

She nodded and let out a breath. "Alright. You know that we've been... together for a while."

"And it has been amazing," he said without thinking. She glared at him. "Sorry. Sorry… interrupting." He mimed zipping his lips.

"Anyway, I've been thinking a lot about us and our future and… I have to ask you something." He opened his mouth but quickly closed it again. "You know how much I love you. You know I want to spend the rest of my life with you and I just… I don't want to waste anymore time. Will you marry me?"

He stared at her, not blinking until she spoke again, her voice small. "Castle?"

"Yeah?" he whispered.

"Say something."

"Am I allowed to?"

"Yes."

"You asked me to marry you."

She swallowed hard, tugging on the sleeves of her long-sleeved t-shirt. "Yeah."

"What's wrong? You look nervous."

She let out a breath and shrugged. "Well…"

"Do you really think I'd say no?"

"I… I don't know. Are you saying yes?"

"Well, that depends. Do I get a ring?"

She smiled. "We'll talk."

"Well, I don't know. You can't just propose without a ring."

Kate rolled her eyes, tugging on his shirt to pull him towards her and kissed him. "Yes or no?"

He laughed softly, leaning his forehead against her. "Of course, yes."

She put her arms tight around him kissing him deeply.

"You know, I thought I'd be the one to propose," he whispered

She smiled up at him, her eyes shiny with tears. "Well, you were taking too long. I got sick of waiting."

"I'm very sorry, Detective. I promise, I'll never keep you waiting again."