Author's Note: Just a little snippet that popped into my head and wouldn't leave…
Castle finds her seated on "their" swings. It twists gently as Kate kicks her feet. Relaxed, she leans into the chain, keeping one hand wrapped around it for balance.
She glances up at his approach, and an easy smile lights up her face. "Hey, stranger." She reaches out a hand, and Castle takes it with a squeeze. He leans in and presses his lips to hers in greeting.
"Hi, yourself," he murmurs when he pulls back.
"How did your meeting go?" she asks as she subtly cocks her head to get a better look at something that he has tucked under his arm.
"My meet-? Oh, it was the usual. Boring." Castle shrugs a bit too nervously, and Kate doesn't miss the stumble in his answer.
"Uh-huh," she responds, tilting her head and eyeing him with a suspicious smirk. "You said you had something for me?"
She doesn't miss the sharp inhale before he speaks, either. "I do! I actually brought this for you." He holds out a hardback book, and as she reaches for it, she recognizes the cover art for the upcoming Nikki Heat novel.
"You brought me all the way out here from the precinct just to give me an advance copy of your book?" she asks. The sting of the mild rebuke is easily washed away by the smile she can't quite keep off her face.
Castle narrows his eyes. "Once upon a time, you wanted to read my books before anyone else," he retorts with a playful pout. But the look melts away as he nods at the book, swallowing nervously. "I just thought you might want to take a look at the dedication."
Openly smiling now, she can't look away from the eagerness in his blue eyes as she flips open the cover. Castle's breath catches in his throat as Kate looks down and sees… a ring.
A ring.
The world suddenly fades away, and all she can see is the perfectly-understated ring, tucked into a small hole within the pages of a fake book, and the words written above it.
"To Kate, to whom I looked for guidance on police procedure and instead learned about strength, compassion, and love."
Tears sting at the back of her eyes, and when she looks up again, Richard Castle is down on one knee. Their eyes lock, and in a moment, everything they feel for each other is spoken without a word.
"Katherine Beckett, will you marry me?"
The first tear slides down her face as she nods. "Yes," she breathes.
Castle's face breaks into a grin, and she sees the glint of unshed tears in his eyes, too. With a shaky breath, he reaches for the ring and reverently slides it onto her finger. Neither of them can take their eyes off it as the weight of the moment sinks in. Finally, he reaches out to take her face in both hands and Kate clutches the book between them as their lips meet.