Requested by Nic6789/ColieMacKenzie

Kate was exhausted, her feet hurt from standing all day, her stomach rumbling in protest, the small bites of food she'd managed throughout the day nowhere near enough to sate her. She was desperate for a hamburger and her bed but there was no chance in hell that she was moving at this moment. Not with her back against her husband's chest, her head tucked under his chin, his arms secure across her stomach.

She's missed him today. Which is stupid because she married him today but the whole day has been a whirlwind, their attention pulled in a million different directions and this is the first time all day they've had time to just be with each other. And so despite the other needs of her body, quietly resting in Castle's embrace at the edge of their wedding reception is the only thing that she wants right now.

She sighs, turning her head to press her forehead into his neck, his arms tightening around her and she snuggles deeper into him. It makes her think of the only other quiet moment they've had today. She woke up with a smile already on her face, excitement zipping through her veins. His arm came across her waist as he slid in behind her, pulling her tight against him.

"Go back to sleep," he'd slurred into her ear, the early morning gravel of his voice raising goose bumps on her arms. She shifted back, lined her body up with his, and allowed one of his legs to slip between hers.

Looking back, she is so grateful for that moment of quiet before they started their day. It was like so many other mornings but now it's become their last embrace before they were married, bookended by this, their first as man and wife.

She knows that like the moment this morning, this one also will end. But then rest of their life – their life together – will start.