a/n: Written for a prompt found on castlefanficprompts. Prompt posted at the end.

An AU Caskett meeting fic.

Just Say Yes

Damn it, shit, no no no!

She feels it the moment it drops, feels her throat clog with that instant, almost insurmountable sadness at the perceived loss. She shouldn't have kept playing with it, but the crowd made her nervous; she barely knows anyone besides Maddie at this party, and her old friend is busy working the crowd at the opening event for her new restaurant. So Kate had aimlessly paved her way through the shifting sea of stylish clothing while subconsciously twisting the ring around and around, tugging it off, then on, then off again. She never even wears it; usually her mother's ring stays safely around her neck, but for some reason she needed fortification for this evening, so she'd slid it off the silver chain and onto her ring finger, had pecked a quick kiss on to the stone before she'd slid into her heels and headed out. And now she probably lost her most precious possession and the thought is unbearable.

She's circling around her own axis, made aimless by her whirling thoughts; she knows she'll have to scrabble around on the floor to try to find it between the immovable forest of high heels and black, polished dress shoes but she doesn't even know at which spot to start looking. It likely bounced and rolled away in a direction she can't possibly foresee and-

"I got it. I got it!"

She startles at the voice, looks down to find a guy down on his hands and knees, dragging the knees of his expensive-looking suit across the floor as he crawled by. Rich brown hair flops across his forehead and then his arm comes up triumphantly, her ring pinched between his thumb and index finger. She stares at him, shock and surprise and relief leaving her immobile. Because he's found her ring and that's-

Richard freaking Castle!

It's her favorite author and of all the people, he came to her rescue. Richard Castle who got his suit dirty just to help her, who's looking at her with the bluest eyes she's ever seen.

She becomes aware of the uproar at about the same moment as he does; she sees it in the widening of his eyes, the astonishment in his features. The crowd has parted, formed a circle around the two of them; hands have wandered to chests, mouths formed to 'O's, collectively held breaths and then she sees it too, the picture they make.

He, down on one knee before her, a ring outstretched and staring up at her expectantly.

They think he's proposing. To her.

And she's staring at him, her heart pounding almost out of her chest, her fingers shaking because for this one insane moment, she wants to say yes.

He's her favorite author, a man she's admired for years, and she'd rarely felt as lonely as she had tonight until he crawled around the floor at a fancy party just to help her. He'd seen her. Her.

The crowd's murmuring, shuffling feet and rustling fabrics, seems to swell with impatience, 'what'd she say?', 'did she say yes?' and it's possibly the craziest thing she's ever considered doing, but maybe she should have some fun, and who's going to know that they're just acting for the crowd?

So she smiles at him, holds her left hand out for him. "Yes."

He gets it immediately, his eyes crinkling with a delighted smile for the crowd and she wonders if she's the only one who can see the mischief in his eyes. He rises to his feet, makes a show of sliding the ring back on her finger, and then he wraps his arm around her waist, dragging her into his arms. He feels solid against her, warm and strong, and her heart races much more than it realistically should.

And then Richard Castle leans in and kisses her, and it's short and sweet and very respectful, but his lips are tender as they brush hers and her eyes fall closed. her stomach fluttering like a horde of wild butterflies. He's kissing her and all she wants is to wrap her arms around his neck and deepen their kiss, and maybe never ever stop kissing him.

He walks her home that night.

They'd snuck away giggling like two school children with a secret after the crowd had cheered and applauded their show before they'd quickly turned back to their regularly scheduled gossip. Snacking on minuscule pieces of finger food and sipping expensive champagne they'd stood too close in a quiet corner of the restaurant, making up stories about the party guests, bantering back and forth until she wondered if someone walking by would feel the electric charge that seemed to zap between them.

Gradually the conversation had turned more personal, until he knew what she did for a living, and she knew about his daughter and his struggles with writing, and her abdomen clamped painfully when he suggested it was time to go, because she never wanted the night to end.

She'd felt giddy, energized in a way she hadn't in a long time. He made her feel alive.

She doesn't know what comes next; doesn't even know whether she'll ever see him again after tonight and she knows it's crazy, she barely even knows him, but she finds herself wanting to live in the warmth of his smile and the strength of his embrace.

"Would you have done it?" He asks, breaking the expectant and slightly awkward silence that had come over them the closer they came to her apartment.

"What?"

"Said yes to a proposal on a first date?"

She glances at him; she's not sure what he's getting at so she quirks an eyebrow at him, goes for teasing. "I guess we'll never know now."

"Kate." He tugs on her sleeve and she turns for him mid-step, comes face to face, suddenly standing much closer than she'd anticipated. He's serious, more serious than he's been all night when he's looking at her, and she finds her heart hammering so hard that it feels like it'll leap from her chest.

"Will you marry me?"

Prompt: "I dropped my ring at a party and you picked it up for me but now everyone thinks you're proposing and even though I don't really know you I kinda wanna say yes" AU

Thank you for reading!