Valkyrie - immediately after the proposal


Kate tugs her mouth away from Castle's and brings a hand up between their bodies, resting her fingertips at his cheek so she can look at her ring again. It really is big, not just her slender fingers making it seem that way.

"You like it? Because if not, we can change it." Castle - her fiancé - says, his palm still splayed wide between her shoulder blades as if to keep her close.

Not that she would go anywhere. He just proposed to her and she is still reeling, wants to keep him near by as proof that she didn't just dream up the last ten minutes. "I love it, Castle. It's gorgeous. How long have you had it?"

"Remember Valentine's Day, when I bought you that gold skull bracelet to make up for the absolute failure of those earrings?" Kate lifts her right hand and her jacket sleeve falls down; she's wearing that bracelet right now. "Well I bought the ring then. That was the jewellery I really wanted to buy for you. I just wasn't sure of what you wanted, so I didn't give it to you."

Tilting her head to the side, Kate keeps him in place with those fingers still at his cheek and leans in to kiss him again. His mouth is soft and warm, like always, and the hand at her spine travels upward to curl at the back of her neck. When she breaks their kiss, it's to offer him a teasing smile, an amused little quirk of her mouth. "I just want you."

"Well that's not true." Castle huffs into the top of her head and she takes a step backward to frown at him. "You also want this job."

Kate lifts her chin, a surge of defiance coursing through her. Obviously, there's still a lot for them to talk about. "Yeah. It's a great opportunity, Rick."

His smile creases up at the corners of his eyes in little fissures of delight, his lips spread thin around his teeth. She knows that he doesn't often smile with his teeth on show like this, that the lopsidedness of his grin makes him self conscious, but she loves it.

It will always remind her of that first morning in his bed, when she promised him she really wanted to do this and he couldn't stop the joy from unravelling across his face.

"I know it is. I'm so proud of you, Beckett." He gruffs out. Their hands are next to their thighs and Castle reaches for hers, clutches at her fingers. She wishes he wouldn't touch her like that, as if he's still so afraid of losing her.

She just said yes to marrying him; she's not going anywhere. Except, well, DC. But not yet, Rick. "Thank you. Listen, I know we have a lot to talk about. I know we have to figure out how this will work. But can we shelve that for tomorrow? Right now, I just want to celebrate our engagement."

"Oh really?" An eyebrow skyrockets towards his hairline and he smirks, that almost-leer that used to rankle her so much that first year, that makes her feel giddy and enamoured with him now. "What did you have in mind?"

Heat rushes in at her cheeks and Kate bites at her lip, lets her hair spill forward to hide her face from him. Ridiculous, how long it's gotten, but for once she's glad for the thick mane of it even as she makes a mental note to get it cut.

Maybe short. She remembers the way Castle used to look at her when they first met, the ends of her hair just brushing her cheeks. Could be fun to tease him with that again. "Well yes, obviously that. But. . .I sort of want to tell people. Lanie, at least."

"How about you two grab dinner and then I'll meet you back home." Castle says easily. A frisson of delight rushes through her at that. Home.

She has been practically living with Rick these past few months, just like Esposito said to him. Castle had relayed Javi's words to her over dinner preparations, before he found the plane ticket in her jacket pocket and they had that calamitous, awful fight.

When he left, she had looked at the half-prepared meal for half a second or so and then dumped the whole thing in the trash and curled up on the couch with a carton of takeout instead. Even with his ring on her finger, her chest still aches with how much she's hurt him.

"No, Rick." She hums, flipping her hand over in his until their palms kiss. It's a looser hold, less raggedly desperate, and it has him smiling down at her. "I want us to tell people together."

"Okay." He laughs, coming in to kiss her again. They're still in front of the swingset Kate can't help but think of as theirs, and maybe it's time to relocate.

People had stared - she'd noticed even as her whole brain reeled at the sight of Castle on one knee in front of her - but they've lost everyone's interest now. No crowd of onlookers to pass through. "Let's get out of here. I'll text Lanie to meet us. Maybe Remy's?"

"Sounds great." He grins, and Kate takes a couple steps away until their arms are stretched taut between them. When she turns back Castle is staring at her, horrified, and her heart pounds ferociously.

Kate covers the distance back to him in two strides and her free hand comes up to settle at his cheek, her thumb circling underneath his eyes. "What's wrong? Castle-"

"I didn't tell you I love you." He blurts out, his jaw set hard in self-denigration. "All of that speech about not being able to imagine my life without you, and I didn't even say that I love you."

Despondent has never been a good look on him and Kate surges forward into a kiss, her teeth nibbling at his bottom lip until he kisses her back. They maybe get a little carried away for the park in the middle of the day, but she can't bring herself to care. Not with his ring on her finger a weight that throws off her movements, keeps her hyperaware.

"Castle. Rick, look at me." She hums when they break apart, waiting for his eyes to peel open and meet hers. "I know you love me. I've always known that. And it took me eleven months and the threat of imminent death to be able to say it to you at all. I understand."

"I do love you, Kate." He breathes against her cheek, his free hand spread wide at her back again. "So much. I can't wait to marry you."

"Me too." Kate grins, feels herself blushing again. It's only just now hitting her, really. This man is her favourite author, her best friend, her partner. And he wants to be her husband.


When Lanie gets the text to meet her best friend at Remy's, her heart plummets down to the pit of her stomach. God, she had really hoped that Castle and Beckett would figure things out. They're so good together, the most well balanced couple she knows, and she had thought that the two of them love each other enough to overcome whatever obstacles might get in their way.

Kate's distress call says otherwise.

Poking her head around the door of Dr Perlmutter's office, Lanie calls out to him. "I'm heading out for an hour. Call if you need me."

"Yeah." Sidney raises a hand in acknowledgement but doesn't glance up from the papers he's working on. It doesn't bother Lanie one bit.

Dr Perlmutter isn't the most popular ME; even generous, kind-hearted Castle hasn't ever been able to crack through the prickly exterior. But Dr Parish can match his dry, acerbic wit parry for parry and so the two of them have something of a stalemate.

Lanie takes the subway across town to the precinct and walks the few blocks to Remy's, her mind reeling. There are no words she can really say to make things easier for Kate. Castle is the love of her life, the only man Lanie has ever seen her friend truly go all in with, and losing him will tear Detective Beckett apart.

Two years ago now, Kate's life was in Lanie's hands as she straddled her friend and begged her to live. She was the one who grappled with Kate's heart, the one who forced it to keep going until she could hand her best friend over into the care of the surgeons.

This time, she's afraid there's nothing she'll be able to do to soothe Kate's heart. She'll be a shoulder to cry on, someone to listen if Kate wants to talk it out, but she feels utterly useless.

Inside the restaurant, Lanie spots her friend easily and makes her way through the crowd of tables to reach her. It's only when she comes around to the front of the booth that she sees that Kate has company; Castle is with her, hidden from view by the high back of the bench seat, and their hands are knotted in the middle of the table.

It blindsides her. She figured that if those two made up, they'd really. . .make up. Lanie had assumed that if they talked it out and realised what colossal idiots they both are being, they'd disappear off to the loft and no one would hear from them for the rest of the day.

Sliding into the seat next to her best friend, Lanie nudges her shoulder against Kate's and smirks. "Am I to assume that you two talked it out?"

"Something like that." Kate grins, and then she tugs her left hand out of her jacket pocket and splays her fingers, holds them up for Dr Parish to see.

Holy crap.

Lanie's brain goes completely blank, like a whitewash, as she stares at the enormous rock decorating her best friend's ring finger. She's always thought that once Castle and Beckett admitted that they are completely crazy about each other, marriage and babies would be the next logical step; these last few weeks have made her realise that these two are not finished being ridiculous when it comes to each other.

Then again, the engagement ring on Beckett's finger says otherwise. "Oh my god! It's huge."

"That's what Kate said too." Rick laughs, squeezing Kate's fingers where they're still tangled up with his own. "I don't know why you're both so surprised. Only the best for my future wife."

His future wife. The words send a cascade of joy through Lanie; she can't even imagine how Kate must feel. "It's gorgeous. You did good, Castle. I'm so happy for you two."

"Thanks, Lanie." Kate says quietly. Lanie has come to know this look so well over the past year, the shy jubilation of it. The very first time she saw it was right after Beckett's first case after coming back from her suspension.

Lanie gave her best friend a couple days to get settled, and then she appeared at Beckett's apartment and wore her down. She still can't believe those two actually thought she bought the whole nobody that you would know routine. As if Castle would still be hanging around, watching Kate be happy with somebody else. As if there could possibly be anyone else who could make Kate look luminescent with joy.

When Kate eventually admitted that yes, her mystery man is none other than her favourite mystery writer, she had curled up on the couch and stared at her knees and smiled in exactly the same way as she's doing now.

"So you're not taking the job, then?" Lanie can't help but ask. Her curiosity has always been a force outside of her control; it's why she does the job that she does.

Kate stiffens by her side, but across the table from them Castle is grinning. "No, she's taking it. I'd never ask her to give up such an amazing opportunity. We'll figure out the rest of it as it comes."

"Good for you guys." Lanie grins, throwing an arm around Kate's shoulders to bring her in for a sideways hug. "Does anyone else know yet?"

"Not yet. So keep quiet, okay?" Kate huffs, driving her elbow into the fleshy place below Lanie's ribs.

She yelps, glares at her friend but her mock irritation dissolves into a ridiculous grin when she sees how happy Kate looks. And peaceful, too. As if all of the turmoil of the past few weeks has given way to a bright new future for Beckett and Castle.

Which, yeah. . .it sort of has. "I can keep a secret, Beckett. And it's something to hold over Javi's head, right?"

"Poor Sito." Castle sighs, but there's a wicked hint of mirth at the corners of his mouth. "Always the last to pick up on anything. Maybe we should just not tell him, let him figure it out and redeem himself."

"I want to tell him and Ryan together." Kate says, but then her fiancé pouts and she laughs, shaking her head. "But that doesn't mean it has to be now."

"They'll be happy for you. Everyone will. You know you two have always been that couple that everyone else aspires to be like. Half the detectives in the precinct are now refusing to settle for anything less than a love like Caskett." Lanie can't help but tease. It is actually true, at least in part; everyone has been rooting for the two of them since day one.

"Oh god, don't." Kate groans, covering her face in her hands. "We don't need a shipper name. This is real life."

"Sorry, honey." Lanie laughs, squeezing Kate's shoulder. Beckett is blushing hard now, chewing at her bottom lip in embarrassment, but beneath all of that there's a quiet, determined joy.

This is what Kate has always wanted. Lanie can still remember years ago, before Castle was around, Kate drinking a little too much one night and curling up on Lanie's couch, admitting to her best friend that she wanted to get married someday, wanted to have a family, but she was afraid that no one would ever put in the effort of falling in love with her.

And then Richard Castle strode right on into her life in those ridiculous reflective sunglasses, the shadow of scruff at his jaw, and Lanie knew that he was the man for Kate. Even if it did take her three years to admit to it.

Lanie gives in to her curious nature again and asks the questions that have flooded her mouth from the moment she saw the ring. About the proposal, about their plans for the future. And as Castle and Beckett answer her questions, tentative about the journey but sure of the destination, Lanie finds herself relaxing back into the booth and listening to the two of them volley shards of sentences back and forth.

If these two can figure it out, perhaps she and Javier can do the same.