Kate turned over in her sleep. Her breathing hitched and quickened in one moment.

The man beside her turned to lay on his back, "Nightmare?" he asked, looking sideways to her.

"Yeah. I'm fine," Kate said as she gently ran the tips of her fingers down his chest. "I'm sorry. Go back to sleep."

"No, it's alright. Talk to me." His voice was low and hoarse. Rick lifted himself and leaned his pillow against the headboard. He laid back on it, "you okay?"

"I'm good." Kate pulled her torso off the bed and rested it on his chest. Her lips gently grazed his chin and she kissed it, "I'm great," she smiled.

"Good," he pressed his lips against her forehead for a moment and then pulled back looking into her eyes. Rick brought his hand to her check and stroked it softly. He made his way down her neck and to her shoulder. He kissed her neck while traveling his hand down her arm until his fingers entwined hers. "You wanna know a secret?" He asked as he held her gaze.

"I don't know, do I?"

"This is a good one."

"Shoot."

"Alexis picked it out." Rick looked at her left hand and then back to her. His hand pulled hers up to his chest and laid it there. His thumb played with the skin on her ring finger until his index joined. Kate looked at him. Disbelief masked her face. "Well, sort of."

Kate watched him as he prepared himself for a story.

"You know," he began, "I looked and looked for days. You know me, color, cut, and clarity… It had to be perfect." Rick got lost in his story, "I started freaking myself out so Alexis offered to choose a few that she thought you'd like and have me pick one that I thought was right. The next thing I know she'd standing in front of me ushering me to the kitchen counter to pick one." He began to smile uncontrollably. Kate watched in awe of him. All of him. "She was so excited."

Kate couldn't find words. Her face partially blank with one exception. A smile.

"You think I'm a jackass, don't you?" He asked.

Her smile widened, "I'm thinking, I love you."

Rick smiled and lifted his head. He kissed her softly but deeply and Kate wrapped her arms around the back of his neck. Her lips worked their way to his check, his ear. "Always," she whispered. She leaned her forehead upon his and they smiled.

"Pancakes?"

She opened her eyes and look into his. She smiled.

Rick dragged his feet to his slippers. Sliding them on, he made his way around the bed and out the door in his boxers.

They had the house to themselves. Martha was spending the weekend in Rome while Alexis was off on a vacation with a group of friends from college celebrating the last of their finals.

Kate turned over to lie on her back. She was so in love with this man she physically could not explain it. It made absolutely no sense to her. A rich, best-selling novelist with a bad-boy reputation gone straight for her? Richard Castle was a bachelor, a ladies man. Now Kate found herself laying in his bed smiling at the ceiling while her man-child of a fiancé made her pancakes, and most probably the ones with smiley faces on them. She couldn't help it. It felt so right. Kate giggled and rolled out of bed. She sprinted out the room in nothing but a wife-beater and a pair of black panties. She hopped on the stool at the kitchen counter and picked at the bowl of chocolate chips, "so, what's on the schedule for today, Mr. Castle?" She licked her finger clean of chocolate.

"Why, Detective Beckett, I thought you'd never ask." Rick put the spatula down and rushed back into his room. Within moments, he stood before her with a box. Rick placed the white box on the counter and presented it with waving arms, "your majesty, your gift awaits you." Rick smiled as her watched her analyzed the box. Its size, color, even down to the bow that held it closed.

Kate looked up at him with a sly smile on her face, "what is this?"

"Open it," he replied. Just as her arms stretched out to grab the box Rick added, "beware, this gift is non-refundable. In this family, it is an honor. A sign of power…" His voice became louder with every word, more powerful, "and in hoping that one day— you will be… the ultimate ruler of the universe!" Kate stared blankly at him, waiting for him to get over himself. Rick looked back at her, "Sorry."

She pulled the green ribbon and watched the bow fall flat against the countertop. Lifeless. Her hands came together to pull off the lid. In that moment, Kate's eyes illuminated. She turned to the man now sitting beside her on a stool. The vest illuminated red. The glow danced across her smile as she pulled him close. Her hands tucked under his collar. She pulled on his collar and kissed him softly. "Rick," she looked into his eyes.

"Now," he entwined his fingers behind her and rested his hands on her lower back, "all you have to is choose a name."

"a name?"

"Yeah, you know, like Thor's Asgard or Clark Kent's Krypton. R2D2's Naboo. Oh, Tatooine!"

"So what's yours?"

"Well, I'm blue and properly named Voltar. Alexis is green. She named her planet Rebel."

"So I'm red? I'm the evil one here?" Kate pulled back a half inch and questioned him.

"No, there is no evil one, per se."

"Sure, so it's just a coincidence that you and Alexis are the Jedi while I'm the Sith?"

"I'll admit the colors do make this seem a little…"

"It's alright, Castle. I'm just pulling your chain." Kate smiled and looked back at the laser tag vest and glanced at him.

"Well, you are the last one in so you get what's left. Who knows maybe one day we'll need to order a smaller vest."

That thought made Kate smile. "Yeah, maybe."

Rick smiled. His happiness could not be contained. "I love you."

Kate kissed him. He brought his hand to her check and rubbed it softly with his thumb and she kissed his palm.

"How about those pancakes?"