Chapter 4?

Hand in hand, the pair walk down the sidewalk in silence. Things were still a tad awkward between the two, but neither cared one bit. Castle and Beckett basked in the sunshine as they walked towards a restaurant that had a big part of their partnership early on. Sneaking glances at the other, they both couldn't hide the smiles that were creeping over their faces.

As they neared the restaurant, Castle lets go of Beckett's hand, both immediately missing the warmth and comfort. Reaching for the door, Castle allows Beckett to walk in first before casually placing his hand at her lower back, needing that sort of connection. He held his hand there, rubbing small circles with his thumb until they were seated and he was shocked to find that Beckett crawled into the same side of the booth as he did.

There was some small talk between the two while they waited for their food, their hands once again finding each other as they rested on Beckett's thigh.

They fall into easy conversation. They talk about his mother's latest career move, they talk about Lanie's promotion, they talk about Ryan's and Jenny's wedding and their two kids. They even talk about her mother. They talked about how she spent her suspension sifting through the files again and again only to find nothing new. They talked about how the new Captain took over and closed everything. They talk about how she never reopened her mother's case when she realized Castle wasn't coming back. They talked about how while she does want to know who had her mother killed, she has learned to accept that there were other things in her life that were more important.

"So," Castle starts before he gets interrupted by their waitress as she places their food and milkshakes on the table in front of them. Nodding their thanks to her before she leaves, Castle clears his throat before going to speak again, "So, I know this might be a little soon, and this is only the first meal we have shared in ten years, and it's okay if you say no, and…"

"Castle, just spit it out!" Beckett says laughing as she squeezes his hand before taking a sip of her milkshake.

"Would you maybe want to come with me to Alexis's wedding?"

Pausing, Beckett sets the French fry she was about to put in her mouth back down on her plate before turning to Castle in shock. "Alexis is getting married!?"

Castle's laughter turns quickly into a cough as he chokes slightly on his milkshake. "Yeah, my baby girl is getting married next month."

"I'm happy for her, she was so little the last time I saw her." Beckett says losing her smile momentarily realizing what she has missed out on the last ten years.

"Hey, it's okay." Castle says, pushing her hair behind her ear and running his thumb over her cheek. "If it makes a difference, she was madder at me for the whole thing, not you."

Covering his hand with her own, Beckett looks over at him, "I never really thought about how our fight would affect others, especially Alexis. I never wanted to hurt her."

"Hey, it's okay. She's all grown up now. She understands that not everything always works out and that sometimes it's the right people, but wrong time."

Beckett smiles up at him in awe, wondering what the hell she did to deserve a second chance with this man. In that moment, Beckett made another promise to herself. She would NEVER EVER let this man go. Never again.

"And for the record," Castle's voice interrupts her thoughts, "She always believed in us. Her and mother were very vocal over the years about how much I screwed up and messed up the chance to be with the only woman who ever truly made me happy."

"Castle…" Beckett whispers, bringing her other hand up to rest on the collar of his shirt. He can see the sadness in her eyes knowing that she missed out on the girl's life. He can see the hurt in her eyes knowing that she loved the girl like her own.

So he pulls her closer, wraps his arms around her shoulders and holds her head to his chest. They sit there for a couple of minutes, completely disregarding the food sitting in front of them. When she pulls away, she wipes the tear from the corner of her eye and smiles up at him.

"I don't want to miss out on anything else." She says brushing her own hair back behind her ear.

"You won't. I promise."

They share a smile before he picks up one of her French fries and takes a bite out of it.

"Hey, you have your own."

"Yours are better." He shrugs with a laugh before picking up his burger and taking a bite.

Slipping cash into the bill, Beckett pulls Castle up from the booth before he has a chance to reach for his wallet. She folds her fingers between his as they head out of the restaurant. The two walk aimlessly around for a bit before Castle pulls her hand around her body to rest on her shoulders.

Beckett leans her head over onto his shoulder as they continue to walk. Twenty minutes later, they have ended up walking towards Beckett's apartment. Stopping at the front door, she looks at him nervously.

"I had a really good time tonight Castle."

"Me too," He says, turning to face her, "I'm glad we talked."

Ducking her head, Beckett takes a couple breaths in and out, trying to make a decision. She is about to open her mouth to speak when he brings his free hand up to rest at her neck.

"I have a couple of meetings about the latest book tomorrow morning, but could I stop by for lunch? Or maybe just coffee?"

"I'd love that." She says smiling up at him, "I'll probably be at the precinct, the boys are working a case. I'm sure they'd love to see you."

"Count me in."

Beckett glances down to his lips and sees them part slightly. He sees it the second her eyes lift back up to meet his. He sees everything in her eyes, everything he has missed out on the last ten years, everything she feels for him. His hand slips down to her neck as he ever so slowly pulls her a little closer to him. Their lips inching closer until they finally meet.

The kiss was short, at first their lips just a whisper of a touch. It only lasted as long as a breath before Beckett leaned forward to catch his lips again, but Castle pulled away slightly.

"Kate," He starts trying to find confirmation in her eyes that yes, this is what she wants. He searches her eyes, only to find them full of desire with a hint of annoyance.

"Castle, just shut up and kiss me."