Oh yeah, third time`s definitely the charm

Disclaimer: I wish but I`m not Alice.

Rating: K+

Author`s Note:
This is my take on the events what should happen after that last scene in "Watershed" had ended. So spoilers up to 5x24!

"What?"

Beckett inhaled audibly before almost whispering her stunned disbelief.

How could I ...? I thought, he`d break up with me. I thought, he`d dump me right here, right now! After all the things I have done to him, it wouldn`t have been a wonder. And now, he shocks me ... with ... with ... this!

She couldn`t think of one good reason why Rick Castle should actually want to marry her when he had just made such a sad face, stating about her not letting him in. He had looked miserable, devastated.

"Will you marry me?"

Oh yes, he seemed to have actually said what she`d thought she heard. She looked up from this beautiful ring where her look had lingered since she`d frozen in shock.

"Seriously?"

Oh ... God!

She just got the real meaning.

He loves me - just like I am! He even accepts me with all my faults!

Just even a minute ago she was absolutely sure that this would have been it. Their relationship, over. Their partnership, gone. She, alone again. Totally crushed, her heart on the ground, shattered to death.

He loves me unconditionally! And he`s expecting me to say "No", just from the looks of it! Why the hell would he assume that...?

And now as she began to fully recognize the extent of his love to her, she started to shiver. Unlimited joy pulsed through her whole system with the speed of light.

Rick hadn`t looked at her, never saw her facial expression changing from one of surprised shock to this one of unrestricted, pure happiness now. He couldn`t believe that she`d question him in this. In this ... yeah, what exactly was this?

Impatiently, he mumbled:

"Kate...? Please!"

"Rick, please, stand up. You`re making me nervous."

Anxiously hysterical laughter erupted from him, now as he looked at her again. He seemed to absolutely miss her delighted, dazzling smile at him.

"Kate ..., really? I am making you nervous? ... For heaven`s sake, I`m a complete nervous wreck here, trying to build up my nerves to ask you the most important question in my life and you think you are getting nervous? Seriously?"

He turned away for not having to look at her, for not having to see her sympathetic expression but he rose on wobbly feet. He had to grasp at the swings to push him up.

Oh my God, here`s world-famous Rick Castle, actually being nervous over proposing to me!
W-h-a-t?
Yeah, Kate, he just did propose to you, indeed!
Oh my God! He`s dead serious with this! This is not a prank. Look at him, Kate! Does he look like he`d joke about this? Oh no, he`s looking like a lost puppy, like you had kicked him to his stomach. Oh geez, say something, Kate! Do something! He`s losing it. He has tears in his eyes. Oh my God, no!

"Yes."
Not really steady, more like an unsure, shy whisper but definitely to be heard.

"You can`t be serious about that. You don`t have to ...! Have you actually heard what I said? What I asked ...?"

He still didn`t look at her, his eyes were fixed right in front of him on the ground.

"Yes."
This time, Kate swallowed before she said it, in a firm voice, full of confidence.

"Kate ..., it`s okay! No, please ..., leave it! You don`t know how important this is ... but as it seems, only for me. You can joke about it. But you don`t know how much this is terrifying me..."

"No, Castle!"

Kate Beckett rather had broken out in loud laughter as she understood that he thought her answer was about his disbelief of her state of nervousness but didn`t dare to actually do. He shouldn`t think that she would actually make fun of him.

It wasn`t, really.

It was the answer to his first, to his most important question.

But he didn`t get it. He entirely misunderstood the meaning of her hesitation.

Kate Beckett had been a little slow in believing what she heard, and therefore her reaction was delayed. She always had troubles to believe even one word he said. Why should this time be different?

But other than this, it was the clearest thing she knew.

She had often imagined it what it would be like to be asked this most important question. She`d even let herself dream about being asked by him but she didn`t dare putting too much hope in it.

She always knew, she`d say yes! Of course!
She wasn`t foolish enough to let him sneak out of her life.

First:
Richard Castle was the love of her life! Rick Castle was her "one-and-done".

Second:
Richard Castle was in love with her! And she really believed him now, trusted him that he was in it for the long run. He had always proven to wait on her. Rick Castle loved her with all his heart and had never stopped to show her that on every single day since they`d been together now.

Third:
She always wanted to get this question asked. She just waited for this special chance to hear it from the right person.

One and two and three now made it a clear "Yes". No doubts whatsoever.

But he mistook it deeply. He thought she had made fun of him. And he just looked like a beaten man.

Oh my God, how I love this man! I have to...! Stop, don`t think, for once in your life, just talk, girl!

"Rick, please, listen to me ..."

"Beckett, please, don`t insult me. I`m already crushed. I won`t bother you with me and my wounded soul ever again, so please ..."

"For God`s sake, Castle! Stop thinking! And stop talking! And shut your stupid mouth for just one second, would you?!"

She rose from the swing, and faster than he`d expected her to be, she was around the swings, standing in front of him. She grabbed his hands with a trembling "please" on her lips, begging him to listen to her, her voice choking up like she was on the verge of tears.

He dumbfounded looked at her, he wasn`t used to an almost sobbing Beckett.

"Rick ... , I promise, if you don`t listen to me right now, to what I have to say, I will tackle you, put cuffs on you, will pull you into my car and put you in a holding cell, so you have no other choice than to listen to me."

He could see that she was serious now. He stopped himself from wanting to escape this situation. He stopped because of her. He stopped for her. But he wanted to get away for sure. He didn`t want to hear her breaking up with him. He pleaded with his look to have mercy with him.

Kate swallowed, nervously biting her lip, before she looked at her partner.

Then she suddenly thrust herself at him, pushed her arms around his neck, and pulled him in for a passionate kiss to which he resisted for just a second. She didn`t let him budge. She leant in to him, gave him another ardent kiss and almost couldn`t resist to go deeper into him, to intensify their tongue contact.

Kate Beckett withdrew from him, adoringly looked him in his beautiful blue eyes, tenderly smiled at his confusion and whispered lovingly:

"Castle, you have to believe me. I am so madly, deeply in love with you, and I`ve been for so long now. I won`t let you run away just because you`re not ready to believe me. I won`t leave you. I don`t want to go. I love you more than anything on this earth. You won`t get rid of me! And yes, Richard Edgar Castle, I will marry you and I`d be honored to become your beloved wife."

His eyes lit up like a Christmas tree as he fully understood what she was telling him.

"I promise to you that I will do everything I can to make you as happy as you make me. I will do everything to learn to trust you completely. I will do whatever it takes to make it work. I will honestly try the hardest I can. For you!"

As she saw him beaming like she hadn`t seen him doing it any time before, with all of his face, with his sparkling eyes, his beautiful eyelashes, even with his nose and how his lips wrinkle at both sides to widen his cheeks to a full-blown happy smile, she knew that she didn`t need to tell him again.

But still, she felt that it couldn`t hurt, that maybe he`d certainly like to hear it again. She would. So she put on a wide smile, shot a coy but teasing look at him and warmly whispered as she kissed him:

"I love you so much. Yes, yes, YES!"

And for the first time she didn`t get the last word. She heard him mumbling in their kiss:

"Oh yeah, third time`s definitely the charm."

They both started giggling into their kiss, overwhelmed with incredible happiness.

The Beginning!

As I am not an English native speaker, you may find some mistakes. Hope that it won`t be too many of them and that it won`t destroy the joy of reading.

I know it`s kind of sappy. I know I am a hopeless, foolish romantic at heart. But I like it this way. I already have some severe symptoms of withdrawal, so please, let me live out my OCD in a sappy way.

Oh, and yes, please, leave a review or a short comment to let me know if you`ve enjoyed reading it. Thanks.