Author's Note: Warning, there's fluff ahead. And I'm not talking about normal fluff; I'm talking like, sickeningly sweet fluff. Fluff I'm actually a little embarrassed about writing. That much fluff. It's this hiatus. It's slowly turning me into a giant a sap, I swear.


Once free from the crowd that surrounded Lanie and the bouquet, Beckett set her sights on Castle. After giving the room a quick once over, she spotted him in a far corner. She headed for him immediately, wasting no time. She had something she needed to do.

"Castle, if I didn't know you better, I'd say you were brooding," she said upon reaching him, giving him a slight nudge and smiling. She had hoped that the incident on the dance floor was one that could simply be shrugged off. After all, they never seemed to talk about things, maybe they could let this slip by as well, but it seemed that the writer had other ideas.

"I'm pouting actually," he corrected. "There's a big difference," his eyes glinted slightly, but his face remained otherwise stoic. "I think I've earned a little pouting," he shrugged.

Kate drew a long breath as she prepared an explanation for her actions while dancing. To others it might seem like nothing, but she knew that by simply pulling away from him, she had given Rick all kinds of doubts. She also knew that she would feel the same way, should the situation be reversed.

Castle heard her sigh and took it to mean something completely different. Rather than hear what he expected, he quickly decided that he would rather avoid the subject.

"Listen, Kate, I didn't mean the pouting thing. I'm just… I'm being stupid," he looked up to meet her eyes. "You don't owe me an explanation. You don't owe me anything at all. You don't have to dance with me at all if you don't want to. I don't expect anything from you. After all, I'm just your backup date, right?" He smiled slightly, trying to reassure her, but it was clear that the smile didn't quite reach his eyes.

Their eyes locked for a moment and Beckett found herself once again feeling as she had often throughout the day, guilty. This time it was purely for leading him to believe something that was so completely untrue.

"Castle…" she caught herself. "Rick. I like dancing with you," she said simply, holding his gaze.

His eyebrow lifted a bit as he looked at her in what could only be described as doubt.

"I do!" She said, seeing his expression. "I might have to deny it if anyone one else asks, but I might even really like dancing with you. Really, really like it."

"You didn't seem like that earlier," he said, his voice reaching a dangerously childish level as he pouted again dramatically.

She reached out to slap his arm lightly.

"Ow!" he exclaimed, leaning away. "Not deserved!"

"What happened to me not owing you anything?" She asked, playfully.

"You hurt my feelings," he said, and gave her the biggest pair of sad puppy eyes she'd ever seen.

"Stop pouting over nothing!" she said, trying to ignore how utterly pathetic he looked when he made that face.

Before guilt crept too far back into Beckett's mind Castle flashed a quick smile to assure her that he was joking. His face evened out again though as he studied her eyes.

"I just… I really do want you to understand that there is no obligation," he said, reiterating his earlier point.

"I do want to dance with you," Kate stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Castle's neck. He tensed out of surprise from her touch.

"No obligation…" She muttered into his ear as she reached down and pulled his arms around her.

"Kate," he said softly, looking down at her. "Are you aware that there is currently no music playing?"

The music had been temporarily cut off for the throwing of the bouquet. Beckett didn't need to even glance over her shoulder to know that Lanie was still surrounded on the dance floor. Her voice could be heard throughout the hall as she giggled and chatted.

"Shut up, Castle," she mumbled, reaching to lift his arms to her waist. "This is me apologizing."

"I'll take what I can get," Castle smiled and pulled her closer as he finally let himself relax. He began to sway slowly, leading her in a slow dance, gripping her waist tightly as they moved.

In the back of her mind Kate thought of how this must look. They were standing aside from the crowd, yes, but they weren't at all out of sight. They were pulled close to each other, dancing in silence. How could that look?

But as soon as she realized how it looked, she realized that she also didn't mind. Let everyone think whatever they wanted to. This was what she needed to do… what she wanted to do, and for once, she wasn't going to let any second thoughts stop her. She was going to have this day, whether it was a logically good idea or not.

They moved together, keeping slow time with no music at all, but still managing to move in a graceful dance. No one interrupted them, but Beckett could feel stares from behind her. The chatter had lessened dramatically when they'd started dancing, presumably being replaced with shocked, hushed discussion.

Thankfully Castle didn't give anything away. Despite the fact that he was facing the crowd and could undoubtedly see their curious looks, he kept his gaze fixed on her. Not once did he look up and reveal in any way that he knew they were being watched. Perhaps he just didn't care.

When the music finally came back on over the speaker, Kate heard Rick let out a small laugh.

"What is it?" she asked, looking up at him.

"You…" he said, lowering his gaze to meet hers. "Us… I mean… this." He gestured slightly around them and knew he was referring to the night as a whole. The dancing, the flirting… they hadn't been like they usually were.

"My mom used to say that people release themselves at weddings. She'd tell me that it's so easy to get lost in the happiness. People see…" She stopped and took a deep breath, memories of her mom filling her mind. Castle squeezed her tighter towards him, and tried to provide a close kind of comfort. She looked up at him graciously for a moment before continuing. "People see how happy couples are at their weddings, and they start to wish desperately that they can have that for themselves. That's why so many couples meet at weddings, because they're hoping they've found their chance at that future."

Castle studied her flushed face for a moment. Her eyes glistened slightly as if she was still overcome with thoughts of her mom. He realized that this step, telling him this, was big. Not only was she sharing close thoughts, but she was also hinting at the fact that they might just be one of these couples, looking for their chance. Instead of voicing this, he left it unsaid. He only said what he felt she truly needed to hear.

"I think that your mother was a very smart woman, Kate," he murmured softly, taking her faintly shaking hand in his own and giving her all the strength that he could.


Author's Note: The fluff… it burns! Actually though, I love writing it. I'm not sure where I'm going with this. I'm thinking about cutting the story here. I feel like it could be a good, open ending. Basically if I get a good idea of where to go next, or if you all just insist on more, this is probably it. I'd love to hear what you all think! Your opinions help more than you know.

Oh! And if you'd like to speak to me more, about anything, come find me at Twitter - SkyyTweet

I'd love to talk to all of you more. :) Thanks, always.