Walking through Red Square, Castle couldn't help but wonder "Why Moscow?"

Why had Kate chosen this icy gorgeous wonderland as the destination for their honeymoon?

They had just walked past a statue of Lenin when he suddenly stopped ad put his hands on her hips, turning her gently to face him.

"Not that I'm not thrilled because I am, but why did you choose Moscow? Was it the snow? The great literature? It wasn't Mr. Lenin here, was it?" joked Castle.

Beckett looked down at her feet, her bangs falling over her sparkly and intensely beautiful eyes, nervously.

"Hey, I'm kidding. I really want to know though..." Castle said, as he pushed a stray lock of long brown hair behind her ear.

"Well, after my mom was murdered and Dad had slowly slipped into his alcoholic abyss spending months on end up at his cabin, alone. I needed an escape, I couldn't spend another Christmas by myself in the city. I could barely sleep..." Beckett sighed and shook her head "everything had become reminder of what I had lost. What I still could lose, you know?"

Castle looked at Beckett, sadly. She had been through so much in her short life and he wished that he could have been there for her when she needed it but he was here now, and wouldn't be going anywhere.

"Thankfully, my Professor suggested an upcoming semester abroad may be just what I needed... so I accepted" Beckett said, barely above a whisper and looked up at him for the first time, tears welling in her eyes and he tried his best to support her in this moment, by pulling her close to his warm body.

"Anyway, I found myself here... walking these streets and similar streets in other cities. My resolve was formed here! Russia, is where I decided that I was going to pursue my mother's killers, that I'd stop at nothing, to have my justice. Castle, I wanted to bring you here... to show you, that uh, that I've changed"

Rick was floored by this admission, all the scratching and clawing worked to tear down the walls she had so carefully constructed around herself in the years since her mother's death.

"You've... changed?" Castle stammered out, still shocked by this revelation.

"Yes! I would like to start over. I want us to start anew here... today, this morning... right now. I just want you, always!"

"That's all I've ever wanted too. I love you, Kate"

Castle smiled at her and Beckett smiled, shyly, in return.

And they continued on their snowy morning walk, arm in arm... comfortable, happy and at peace with the idea of a new beginning.