AN: A lighter, ending to an angsty story. I promised Monday or Tuesday. It's still Tuesday here for another couple of hours. :)
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Chapter 5
Kate's phone rang on Saturday morning at nine, and she had an immediate smile on her face when she saw who was calling.
"Good morning, Sweetheart," Castle greeted her when she answered.
"Feeling your oats this morning, are you?"
"I missed you as soon as I left you last night. Have you had breakfast?"
"Not yet."
"Then how would you like to meet me for brunch at that little diner on your block…see if the rose colored glasses we were looking through last night give us the same view in the daylight? We could spend the day together…find something to entertain ourselves. Did you have plans for anything in particular?"
"No. No plans, and I like yours. What time?"
"I can be there in half an hour. Is that okay?"
"I'll be there."
They met outside the diner, arriving at almost the same time and greeting each other with a quick kiss.
"Mmmm," Castle said with a smile and placed a hand on the small of Kate's back as they walked into the diner. "It's already looking pretty rosy to me."
"Is it always going to be that easy to make you happy?"
"I might want to start adding more to the happiness repertoire pretty soon," he answered with a suggestive smile.
"Is Alexis home yet?"
"No. Buttons' family is going to Coney Island today and invited her to go along and spend another night with them. It should be good for her. I practically dared her to come home. Lanie and the morgue will have her back soon enough."
"Do you have any suggestions for how we should spend our day?"
"Yes, I do." The waitress showed up then, and they ordered coffee and brunch. "I'd like to take you to the Hamptons, show you the town and the house, and do some sight-seeing."
"Do we have time for all of that in what's left of today?"
"Maybe not, but if you pack an overnight bag, we could stay there and come back tomorrow. It's quiet there right now. The tourist season isn't in swing yet, but the town is gearing up for it, so there's plenty to see and do but not nearly as many people in the way of doing it."
"I do like the sound of more time for the two of us," she said, her hand straying to his across the table and playing gently with his fingers. "Monday will be here too fast, and I haven't had a nice walk on the beach in a long time. Will you take a walk with me?"
"I'd love to. I told Mother I was going to ask, so I have my bag in the car in case you were willing. We'll stop at your place to pick up what you need and leave from there." They made quick work of their brunch and walked back to Kate's apartment. He told her what she would probably need; and while she packed a few things, he texted his mother and daughter to let them know he would be home the next afternoon.
"Will you expect these spontaneous moments to happen often?" she asked as they started their drive.
"More than you're used to right now, but not enough to be obsessive. Is that an acceptable compromise?"
"I haven't exactly been Ms. Spontaneous for a long time. You may have to retrain me gradually, but you can call today a win."
After a pleasant drive to the beach, Castle parked the car in the middle of what would probably be considered downtown and took Kate on a tour, pointing out places he and Alexis enjoyed, good places to shop, the best place to get ice cream (apparently a place worthy of being a tour site), and then he stopped in front of a jewelry store and started toward the door.
"Why are we here," Kate asked suspiciously.
He backed away from the door to stand with her in front of the window. "We're ring shopping. You told me on our drive up here that you've forgiven me, and you told me last night you had already imagined marrying me and having my babies. We both know what we want, so we'll eventually need a ring. Might as well start now. There are people here who make beautiful jewelry, some of it custom, and I want to know you have exactly what you want. A lifetime is a long time to be unhappy with something you wear every day."
"Castle, I can't look at things this expensive and say, "I like that one. Buy me one of those."
"You do realize that you're the only woman I've been involved with who has ever had a problem with that, don't you?"
"Then you've been with the wrong women."
"That, I have. But, Kate, you're in love with a man with a lot of money. It's part of who I am, now. I guess I'll have to retrain you gradually on that score, too. But for today, I'll make it easy…point things out and ask if you like them, ask leading questions, and ask you to try some of them on. Come on, I'll be gentle," he teased. If there isn't something here that makes your eyes light up, there are plenty of jewelers in the city. We've wasted enough time. We need to take our future into our hands and start living it. We should just dive in as you once put it, and this is a first step. I want to be prepared."
She reluctantly allowed him to take her into the store and ease her through the process of choosing favorites. After watching her reactions carefully, he finally said, "You keep coming back to that one. That's the one, isn't it? I see it in your eyes. Do you like it enough to wear it for a lifetime?" Looking at her hand, she nodded and gave him a shy but happy smile; and he told her, "It looks like it belongs there."
The ring itself was a little large for her, but the jeweler told them he could have it sized for Kate's finger before they left on Sunday. Castle gave him a credit card, and when he signed the receipt, he added a note asking if he could pick it up late that afternoon. Knowing Rick as a good, longtime customer, the jeweler smiled and nodded, having no trouble making that accommodation for him.
"I know that was uncomfortable for you, but I loved seeing you love that ring."
"I do love it. It's absolutely perfect. It's practical enough for work and beautiful enough for formal wear. But you're going to have to do a boatload of retraining to get me past being uncomfortable with that. The spontaneity will probably be a much easier thing. I used to do that back in an earlier life. This kind of shopping…not so much."
After leaving the store, they wandered through a variety of shops and small, local attractions and eventually ended up in a coffee shop. Castle finished his coffee first and went to arrange for some pastries for breakfast on Sunday.
"They're putting together a pastry order for us for tomorrow," he told Kate. "Stay here and finish your coffee and pick them up on the way out. I'll get the car and come back for you. We can go and take the bags to the house before dinner, and I'll give you the tour there if we have time."
"I'll wait for you out front," she agreed.
The car was strategically parked close to the jewelry shop, and Rick went in to pick up the ring, thanking the owner for his help. He now had the last step in his plan ready."
After dinner in a restaurant overlooking the water, the couple went back to the house and took a short walk on the beach, arms around waists. When they returned to the house, Rick stopped Kate before turning to go back inside. "We can do that again tomorrow when it's warmer if you'd like."
"I'd like that. It's relaxing out here."
He faced her and took her hands in his.
"Kate, I'm standing here, so in love with you I almost can't contain it, looking you in the eyes and giving you the equal footing you wanted. I know this is awfully fast, but it's following a lot of awfully slow. Will you marry me…be partners in everything with me for the rest of our lives?"
Her mouth opened a couple of times without a sound, and then she wrapped her arms around him; and he pulled her close as she said, "Yes. This feels crazy. Last night we were so unsure of each other." She turned her face to his for a kiss "But you're right, and I trust your judgment. It's time we just dive in. I do love you…so much."
Rick reached in his pocket and pulled out the ring.
"You already have it?"
"I told you I wanted to be prepared." He lifted her left hand, slid the ring, which now fit perfectly, on her finger and kissed it before kissing her nearly senseless.
"Impressive," she whispered, breathing a bit raggedly.
"Let's go inside," he suggested. "The breeze is picking up, and it's getting pretty chilly out here. Draping an arm around Kate's shoulders and walking them back toward the house, he asked, "Are you at all angry with me now?"
"No. I surprised myself last night. I did a lot of thinking and imagined a long life together with you, Martha, Alexis, my dad, and our babies. Somehow, it just didn't make sense to be angry with you for loving me enough to want me safe so we could have all that. Especially considering that I didn't have the good judgment to do it myself then." She looked at him and smiled mischievously. "This complete honesty thing may have some merit."
"So, no other feelings between us right now except being in love…and everything that goes with it?" he asked as he opened the back door for her, his eyebrows dancing.
As she recognized her words from the night before, she laughed and asked, "Are you suggesting that we might want to celebrate our engagement?"
"We're cold, and there's a big bed and a nice fireplace in our room."
"I'm all yours." Holding her hand out to look at her ring, she added, "For a lifetime if I'm lucky."
"And if I'm lucky."
The bed and the fireplace were used well; and when the sunlight filtered into the room over the warm, contented couple in the morning, there was very little interest in moving from where they were. They snuggled close under the covers and alternately dozed and indulged in short flares of celebratory moments.
After cooling down another of those moments, Kate observed, "You're thinking loudly over there. I can almost hear it, but not quite. Are you going to tell me? Or ask me? Or whatever it is you need to do?"
"We have more decisions to make now, you know. Some of them can wait a little while, but some can't. For most newly engaged couples, it wouldn't be a problem; but for us, it probably is. I don't like having to bring it up so soon, but it's going to put some pressure on us sooner than later; and we should probably start thinking about it before we go back home."
Kate sighed and burrowed in closer to his side. "Our jobs?"
"That's the biggest thing at the moment.
"You're thinking about Gates?"
"Sir Gates still doesn't like me, but I think she's begun to see that I can provide some value. In spite of that, this may give her the perfect way to get rid of me; but I don't want to hide us. It's your job. What do you think we should do?"
"I don't want to lose you at the precinct, but I don't want to hide us, either. That would be living with another lie. And hiding an engagement to the man I call my partner could have her wanting to kick both of us out. She's really big on rules."
"She's also big on looking good, so your job would probably be safe. She isn't likely to toss out half of one of the best homicide teams in the city. My quarter of it may not make the cut, though."
"Then I'd say we should tell her tomorrow, and then we'll know. The city doesn't even pay you for all the time and work or the danger you put yourself in. Maybe that's our loophole," she answered hopefully.
"The other thing is my job. I have a new book coming out in early September. That means Paula will already be looking at publicity opportunities for the end of the summer to get me in the press again and stir up interest…and this time I want no speculation that there's anybody in my love life other than you. You're the only date I'll want, and our engagement is likely to become public information if it hasn't by then. I know you hate that sort of attention, but it's as much a part of who I am now as the money…probably responsible for a lot of the money."
"So, I need to be your arm candy?"
"You'll make excellent arm candy," he responded with a placating kiss to her temple.
"In spite of how much I love you because it's you, there are times I love you in spite of you. You're aware of that, right?" she asked drily.
"The feeling is mutual," he answered. Then he added as an afterthought, "Umm, you didn't bring your gun, did you?"
They both laughed, and Kate said, "We expended a lot of energy last night, and I'm hungry. How do you feel about a shower, brunch, and another walk on the beach before we have to pack up and leave?"
"I kind of like it where we are, but I could stand the disappointment if we can shower together."
She nodded and then sniffed the air. "Do I smell coffee? Is someone else here?"
"The coffee maker is on a timer. I filled it while I was downstairs locking things up last night." He gave her another long, impressive kiss before they got up for their shower, and then they went to enjoy their coffee and pastries and the eggs and fruit they added.
As they walked, they planned how to approach Gates the next morning...in a way that would be reasonably honest and might help keep Castle detecting at the twelfth for the foreseeable future.
"Alexis!" Kate exclaimed, sounded agitated. "You should have told Alexis before anybody else, before you even talked to me. What if she hates the idea of me as her stepmother."
Castle used the arm he had resting loosely around her shoulders to pull her closer in reassurance. "When I talked to her about Coney Island, I told her what I planned to do if you weren't still upset with me. She said it was about time we got our act together, so, I think you can relax."
After releasing a long breath in relief, she said, "We need to tell my dad…"
"I went to see him this morning. I called you from my car outside his place. We have his blessing. You can call him on the way home."
"You've been a very busy man. Do I at least get to tell Lanie?"
"I left her entirely for you. Not sure my delicate ears could withstand the squeal I'm sure is going to happen. "That just leaves Ryan and Esposito before we tell Gates.
She looked at him hopefully, "Martha sounded open to the idea."
"Mother is thrilled. She thinks I'm crazy for wanting more children, but I can guarantee when they're here, she'll be happy. She likes being a grandmother as much as I like being a dad."
"You always refer to babies, plural. How many are we talking about in your mind?"
"Four or five?" he speculated and then laughed at the look on her face. "Kidding, kidding," he said as she shoved him away from her. "I might be using a walker by the time we got the third one through high school." He wrapped his arm around her shoulders again and clarified, "At least one, but we've both talked about wishing for a sibling when we were children. Maybe we could do that for our first one."
"I spent time with friends who had a brother or sister and went home wishing I had one, too. Then there were others that left me content to be the only child. Let's see how the first one goes. Then we can talk."
He stopped them, planted an enthusiastic kiss on her lips. and looked to the heavens, "Kate Beckett is really going to have my baby! I get to be a daddy again."
"But not right now. Don't get too excited yet. Too many other things to work out first."
They talked about what kinds of publicity events he might need her presence for and what would be expected of her, living arrangements, possible times and places for a wedding, and expanded on some of that in the car on the way home.
"This still feels crazy," Kate commented as they arrived a few blocks from her apartment. "We haven't even been dating."
He was quiet as he pulled into a parking space about a block from her building. "Are you having second thoughts?"
She could see the pain in his eyes when he asked the question. "Come here." She cupped his jaw with one hand, gave him the most loving kiss she could muster up and told him firmly, "Not a single one. We're in this together…and both of us may be crazy, but we're going to be crazy together…for a very long time."
He smiled, seemed satisfied, and said matter-of-factly, "I'll walk you up." When he took her bag from the trunk, he picked up a small thermal bag as well.
"What's that?" she asked.
"Wine. I took it from the cooler at the house before we left. Call Lanie, ply her with wine, and have a girl's night. I need to be home tonight for Alexis, although I'd like to stay here with you."
"No. We aren't going to start this with Alexis thinking you're deserting her for me. We'll work it out. I want some kissing first, then you need to go home. I'll call Lanie, and we'll talk about you," she teased. They agreed on a time to meet at the precinct the next morning, dreading facing Gates.
After a few minutes of warm, eager kissing and holding, Castle went home and Kate called Lanie without telling her why she needed to see her, only that it was important. Once she and Lanie sat down with their wine and Kate showed off her new ring, the squeal Castle had predicted happened, and Lanie wanted to know everything.
Kate told her most of it, starting with their lies and their evening at the restaurant and the loft…and a little of the rest. Some of it would never be shared with anybody but Castle. At the end of her explanations, she finished with. "Honesty certainly got things moving."
There were questions and more answers until the bottle was empty, and Lanie said she had to leave. "I need to be at work tomorrow in good enough shape not to have that brilliant teenager of yours take one look and know I consumed more than half a bottle of very fine wine tonight." When Kate raised an eyebrow in amusement, Lanie's answer was, "What? I had to have something to do while you were doing all that talking."
Kate walked her out, saw that she was safely in a taxi and went back, already worrying about what would happen in the morning.
xxxxx
Ryan and Esposito were in the bullpen almost as early as Beckett the next morning, followed closely by Castle with coffee for all four of them.
Hey, man. Coffee for us, too? Is there an occasion?" Esposito teased.
"Actually, there is, but you can't react the way you're going to want to," Castle warned.
"Okay. No reaction. You have our attention. What's going on?" Ryan asked
Castle strategically placed the coffee in Kate's left hand, and she smiled at him and brought it to her lips, her ring prominently on display.
Ryan looked down and, with great effort, said quietly, "No reaction? That's asking a lot, don't you think?"
Esposito simply seemed dumbfounded. "For real? You and Beckett? How did we miss that you were dating?"
"We weren't, exactly. How about we treat you to lunch at Remy's and explain? Right now, we need to see Gates while the shifts are still changing and we can kind of fly under the radar."
"Good luck with that."
"Thanks," she answered. She and Castle left their coffees on her desk, and she knocked on Gates' doorframe. "Do you have time to talk to us, Sir?"
"Come in." When Castle followed Beckett in and closed the door, Gates leaned back in her chair and said, "That serious?"
"We need to tell you something the entire homicide floor doesn't need to know quite yet."
"Well, get on with it."
Castle took Kate's left hand in his and held it up, and Kate told her. "We're going to be married soon, and we knew you would need to know."
"And how long has this been going on?"
"As far as our actually being together, since Friday; but in intent…in our minds, since last fall. There was an issue to confront last week, and a lot of talking and agreements happened over the weekend."
"Apparently," Gates commented. "You call Mr. Castle your partner. By all rights, I should remove him or reassign him."
"I need him with me here, Captain. I've been seeing Dr. Burke for personal reasons since my psych eval, and he diagnosed PTSD. I've had a couple of panic attacks in the field."
"The sniper case recently?"
"Yes, Sir. That was one of them. Castle knows me better than anyone, and he sees them happening. He knows how to talk to me, work with me, and still leave my credibility intact with either a suspect or other law enforcement who need to depend on me."
"Why wasn't I informed?"
"You should have been. I hate looking weak, and it was handled well, and…"
"Detective, you've been through some major personal trauma in your life, and it's commendable that you're open to accepting help for it; but I need to be aware of anything that might affect the safety of my people. Is there anything else I need to know?"
"No, Sir."
"Since Mr. Castle is an unpaid civilian, I will bend the rules and allow him to stay to provide the support you still need. However, things will remain professional between the two of you in the precinct; and I'll have to reconsider if a problem arises with other staff members taking exception to the arrangement." She sighed and added, "And if you intend to continue to wear that stunning piece of jewelry, it won't be long before they all know. I suppose congratulations are in order, and I appreciate that you came to me immediately to let me know."
"You should probably know that I have a book coming out at the end of the summer, and we decided yesterday that a wedding will probably happen before that. There will be publicity around the release of the new book, and announcing a wedding as opposed to an engagement would limit the publicity attached to the relationship."
Gates actually gave them a small smile. "If the publicity creeps into life at the precinct, I'll expect help with that. And I'd better receive an invitation, including a reception with some fine alcohol. The two of you… I can almost feel my hair turning gray."
"A sentiment you share with my mother, Sir," Castle answered.
"Out. I need to get back to work."
"Thank you, Captain," Beckett said appreciatively while moving out of the office as if afraid Gates' mind would change before they could.
xxxxx
They were married mid-summer in a small ceremony at the Hamptons house…well under a hundred people in attendance, and Gates was invited. At the reception they pointed out the bar and invited her to help herself to any of the fine alcohol that interested her…and introduced her to Paula for any assistance with publicity problems.
By the time charity events, gallery openings, and whatever else Paula could book for them turned up in August, their marriage was public. Kate announced as they left home to attend the book launch that her excellent arm candy that night was a famous bestselling author, which had Castle preening before he ever reached the event. The book was well-received, and with his muse living with him, he had made a good start on the next one.
A break-in at Montgomery's home set off a search for Smith. They managed to get to him before Bracken's assassin did, and he gave them the files before he disappeared. Beckett and Castle, quickly working with the right people to uncover more explicit evidence, soon had Bracken exposed for the monster he was. His shady businesses and his ill-gotten funds were confiscated and no longer his, the CEO and staff of the security company who provided the killers and the drug dealers who provided most of his personal and political funds were prosecuted as well as Bracken, and he was shunned by former associates who wanted no part of the scandal. In short, he was no longer a threat to their family.
Rick finally got to be a daddy again, a little boy Castle this time…and later a little girl. Alexis was a devoted big sister, visiting her siblings often, and Martha spoiled them as she said she would. Castle's family adopted Jim and he adapted to having a family again.
In the summers and on school holidays, they would travel with the children as Castle used to do with Alexis, taking big sister along when she had time. After graduate school, she was married and later there were grandchildren.
Through their life together, Kate and Castle continued to bicker and argue now and then, but it never dampened their love. Castle kept writing, and his books aged well, just as he did. Kate eventually retired, the children grew up and entered college, and the Castle empty nesters came and went as they pleased, traveling and spending time at the beach house when it suited them. As they thought they would, they grew old together, enjoying their children, grandchildren, and each other and living out the 'always' they had promised each other in their wedding vows.