A/N- Adding to the 7x6 post-ep extravaganza- a quick interlude until I post the next chapter of "The More Things Change". Pure plot-less fluff. If that's not your thing, turn back now. :)

Jo- thanks for the quick beta on this!

Disclaimer- I own nothing, but my mistakes

Real Bliss

The last glimmers of pinks and purples in the sky were swallowed by the waves crashing in the ocean, the sun setting on their perfect day. Castle looked into Kate's eyes in complete awe. His present. His future. His everything. His wife. Today he had seen what his life could've been like without her and what her life could've been like without him. It was heartbreaking. So heartbreaking in fact, that as he held Kate in his arms he almost couldn't believe that he was this lucky. That he was this blessed to have this extraordinary woman in his life. Let alone be so fortunate that he now got to call her his wife.

Please God, let this be real.

While his family, both old and new, celebrated their union he pulled Kate closer into his body. Holding her tight and whispering his love onto her skin, all the while brushing her arm with the touches he needed for assurance. She was warm and soft, molding into his body, squeezing him back.

It felt real.

The sun had set now, but he wasn't ready to let this end. Their family had said their goodbyes, retreating into the house but the two of them chose to stay in the moonlight, enjoying each other's company. Castle laced his fingers into hers and pulled her toward the beach. Removing their shoes, they walked along the shore allowing the cold November sand to chill their feet. Stopping after a moment, she turned into his arms and held him close. A content sigh escaped from her lips.

It sounded real.

An hour had passed by the time they made it back into the house, their guests already turned in for the evening. All it took was one look from her to ignite the electric spark in the room. They fell into bed that night, their first time together as man and wife. He pulled her into frantic kiss, and they couldn't undress each other fast enough. Caressing her body, his mouth worshiped every inch of her skin.

She tasted real.

After hours of showing how much they loved each other, Kate fell asleep in his arms. However, sleep eluded him. This was their perfect wedding and their perfect night. What would happen when he closed his eyes? Would this all disappear? He pulled her close, breathing in everything that was Kate Beckett. The love of his life. He ran his fingertips down her arm, ghosting along her skin. Her head rested against his chest as she slept and he brushed a small kiss into her hair, trying to avoid waking her. His sense of smell was overtaken by the scent of her shampoo, the cherry fragrance he had grown to love for so many years.

She smelled real.

Watching the hypnotic pattern his hand traced onto her skin, he couldn't help but stare down at the ring encircling his finger. A symbol of their love for one another, but it was so much more. It was a symbol of their endurance and triumph in the wake of tragedy. A symbol of their survival against every obstacle that was thrown in their path. They survived while holding onto one another for support and falling in love in the midst of the journey. The gold from the band gleamed in the moonlight leaving him fixated on the sight.

It looked real.

His eyes grew heavy in acknowledgement of the long, unbelievable day that he had. Giving her one last kiss against her exposed skin, he allowed his body to surrender to exhaustion. He closed his eyes, knowing that if tonight wasn't real, at least he knew what it felt like to have this amazing woman in his arms.

The warmth of the sun tickled across his face. In their all consuming rush for one another last night they had forgotten to close the curtains, and afterward he had refused to move from her body in order to close them. Blinking into consciousness, his sight focused on a gorgeous set of hazel eyes staring back at him. She was there with him. He wasn't alone.

"So it was real? It wasn't a dream?" The questions spouted from his lips, the awe and disbelief coloring ever word. Looking down at their hands, he could see their matching rings still worn on the appropriate fingers.

"No, you weren't dreaming," she answered with a soft giggle.

He had the honor of being married to this unbelievable woman. It was far more than he felt like he could ever deserve. His arm extended, reaching for her body as his lips broke out into a huge grin. Pulling her forward into his embrace, he held her close for awhile before he cover her mouth with his own in a slow, lazy kiss. He had never believed that he could be this happy. The phrase marital bliss was a notion that seemed foreign with his two prior unions. Happy? Sure, but nothing could ever compare to this. This was a dream come to life.

Breaking away but not moving far, he whispered into her ear.

"Good Morning, Mrs. Castle." Goosebumps spread across the plains of her body as a gorgeous blush painted her checks.

"Good Morning, Mr. Castle," she answered with a smile. Kate lifted her hand and cupped his cheek, directing his lips back onto hers. She was a smart woman.

"I plan to keep you here in bed with me all day," he said, in between kisses. "You're real. I'm real. And we need to celebrate that fact," he chuckled into Kate's ear.

"You do know we have guests in the house- we promised we would see my dad for breakfast before he drove back to the city." She opened her mouth and he could only imagine that more excuses were on the tip of her tongue, so he swallowed her words. He kissed her hard and fast before she could bring anymore logic into the air between their tangled limbs. He knew his wordless debate was finally wearing her down when she flipped their bodies over with her legs bracketing his hips. Pushing her weight down onto his body, he smiled at his beautiful wife above him.

"I thought we needed to make it downstairs for breakfast?"

She giggled as she leaned down to dust light kisses against his jaw; all the way up to his ear. "Maybe we can be a little late."

He rolled her onto her back and pressed her hard into the mattress before she could change her mind.

This was unequivocal bliss. And this was so very real.

The End

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