A/N: Sooo, here's the last chapter! Yay! I hope you've all enjoyed this small story and will enjoy the ending as well! I publish it now because I really want to hear your thoughts about it (plus I wanna make up for not finishing it sooner and being able to publish it during the weekend...). Anyway, have a great day/night wherever you are! Until next time, xxxx

Montgomery was not happy with her being hurt, but glad they caught the murderer, and since she couldn't really stand on her foot he ordered her to stay home for a couple days, which means she now has five days off instead of just two. Castle was excited about that the second he heard about it, and he's still as excited as he's rummaging through her closet in order to pack her bags for her while she's sitting on her bed and observing it all with amusement on her face.

"Where's that N.Y.P.D. hoodie you like so much?" he asks as he's looking through her drawers and she's scrunching her lips up as she's looking at him. He turns to her in search for answers but stops in his movements when he sees her scrunched up smile. "What?"

"It's at your place, I forgot it there yesterday morning," she reminds him and he chuckles as he realizes he'd been the one to remind her it was at his place once he'd gotten in at the precinct.

"Right, we'll have to pick that up when we stop to get the bag I packed," he plans and she shakes her head.

"I can go a few days without it," she says and he raises one of his eyebrows at her. "I can!" she insists and he chuckles.

"Well, you don't have to," he says and continues to pack.

She's blushing when he's reaching for her underwear drawer and sees him look through it with careful movements. She can't believe she agreed to let him pack for her, but if it hadn't been for her stupid ankle she would've done it herself.

"What bra do you want?" he questions and she snags out of her thoughts. "Do you want normal bras or sports bras?"

He looks at her and she thinks about it for a second. "One of each."

She observes as he's picking out two bras and holding them up for her to approve. After he's put them down in her bag she's reaching for his hand to pull him in between her legs, and he comes willingly.

"Where are we going?" she asks as she's wrapping her hands around his back to clasp them together. It hasn't bothered her not knowing since she asked him to take her wherever the stargazing was, but now it's starting to get to her, especially since her ankle is hurt.

He just smirks at her as his hands land on her shoulders, rubbing slightly. "Outside the city, more specific than that you don't need to know," he says teasingly and she groans. "I thought you said you didn't need to know."

She bites the insides of her cheek and looks away from his eyes, more exactly she's now looking straight into his chest. "I didn't…" she mumbles and he immediately catches on, of course he does.

"But now you do," he states, not a question.

She nods but then shakes her head again with a sigh. "No, I don't want to ruin your surprise," she says and his index finger lands gently underneath her jaw, slightly tilting her head up to search her eyes.

"Well, it's not really a good surprise if you're not enjoying it," he tells her, his eyes giving away how much he cares for her.

She scrunches her nose with a small smile on her lips. "You know I love you right?" she asks and he smiles. "I don't need to know. Promise," she adds when she sees he's about to ask if she's sure about it.

"I love you too Kate, more than I've ever loved anyone before you," he says and she giggles.

"Same goes to you," she says and he leans down only for her to raise her head and meet him on the way, claiming his lips with hers. Gosh, she really does love him more than anyone before him too.

She pulls him with her as she lies down on the bed, feeling his body push hers into the mattress still as electric as that first time. Still sends that same static through her body. She moans when he moves his tongue against hers the way only he has ever done and she feels his fingers trickle down her sides with promises of more, later. For right now he's slowing down the kiss, ending it with a couple of pecks.

"Come on, almost done, and if we're finished within the hour we can drive today," he says with excitement in his eyes, which fills her with excitement too.

"M'kay," she agrees as she's pecking his lips one last time before she lets go of him. "What more is there to pack anyway?"

"How about some pants?" he says and then he stops in his tracks to turn towards her with a teasing smirk. "Or we could just skip the pants."

Kate laughs and shakes her head. "Not a chance."

He shrugs and it makes her laugh a bit longer. "Fine, it would've been a lot more fun but okay." And then he goes into her closet again.

Next time he comes out he's asking about her toiletries and she's immediately shaking her head as she's standing up carefully.

"I'll get those," she says and starts to walk off when he's appearing at her side to help her walk without too much pain.

She feels ridiculous for having his help whenever she walks, not that she ever asked for it, he just keeps showing up whenever she stands up. It's just a wrong landing on her ankle, it's nothing serious. Sure it hurts, but not as much as if she'd been shot or something like that. But she didn't have it in her to push him away, not when she knew how much it meant to him to be able to take care of her. He's insisting on carrying her bags to the car as well and she's letting him. It's something she's unsure she would let anyone other than him do.

Without any talking Kate's the one sitting in the passenger seat, even if she'd want to drive just to get a clue as to where they were going by having to make him give her directions, but her ankle hurt too much to be able to drive, especially when she doesn't know how far they're going. Castle isn't questioning her decision either, he's just smiling and opening the driver's door in order to start the engine and drive away. After they've left the city behind them Kate feels his hand land on her thigh. She looks at him and he glances at her with lips in a smile.

"How's your ankle?" he asks and she smiles.

"Not as bad as when I hurt it yesterday," she tells him and he nods.

"Good, because the place we need to go to later requires a small walk from where we have to park," he says and she takes his hand in order to intertwine their fingers. "I can't believe we're going to have three days to ourselves out there."

"So, I'm guessing there's a good thing I hurt my ankle after all," she says as she starts to think about it more. If she hadn't they would've only been out for a day before they had to go back for her work.

"That's one way to think of it," he agrees. "Though I would've preferred if you didn't have to get hurt for it."

"Yeah, me too." She pulls his hand up to her lips in order to kiss it gently. "How much longer until we're there?"

"Only another half hour."

She hums as she's letting their joined hands land on her thigh again. "When was the first time you came out there?"

"Oh I think I was in my late teenage years. I had just gotten my driver's license and was out just driving around for fun and with no true destination. I ended up taking a break because I needed to pee and I found this… well, you'll see," he says with a teasing smile on his lips. "What did you do when you got your licence?"

She shrugs. "I didn't really do anything when I got my car licence, when I got my motorcycle licence though," she whistles and he turns towards her with wide eyes. "Eyes on the road!" He turns back and she bites her lower lip. "I rode that thing everywhere."

He gulps. "You have to show me sometime," he says and she chuckles.

"You really think you can handle me straddling my Harley in black leather," she questions and sees his throat move with another gulp.

"I think we should find out," he states and she bites her lower lip.

"As soon as I can drive it with my ankle I can come pick you up," she suggests and he nods excitedly. "You can't react the way you did to the photo though," she reminds him and he chuckles.

"Maybe not as fast but after the ride I'm sure we can arrange something," he says and she smiles.

"Yeah," she agrees. "We could do that."

"But first," he says as he turns onto a road leading into a forest, "let's go do some stargazing."

Kate looks around as they drive through the forest, taking in the amazing nature around them. Not much longer they're coming up at an opening that looks a bit like a parking spot for people visiting the deeper parts of the forest. Without saying anything Castle stops the engine and gets out of the car only to go around it and open up her door for her. She carefully gets out too and insists on taking her own bag as he takes out all the things they're supposed to carry to whatever place he's taking her. She offers to take some of the smaller bags for the tent they're going to sleep in but he's not letting her. Somehow he even manages to put his arm around her in order to let her support herself onto him to minimize the pain in her ankle. They only have to walk for twenty minutes before he stops and she looks around confused. There's almost walls of bushes and trees around them and there's no way one can see the stars from here.

"Okay, so," he starts as he puts down all the bags on the ground, including taking hers to join them. "I want you to close your eyes. Trust me," he adds when she gives him a suspicious look.

"Okay," she whispers as she's closing her eyes.

She feels the static run through her veins the second his fingers touch hers as he's taking a hold of her hands to guide her with him. She's surprised how easily she just follows him, without any hesitation whatsoever, even though she can't see anything. Castle is careful not to let her hurt her ankle as he leads her through the bushes, she loses touch with her surroundings the second it doesn't feel like there's trees and bushes around her anymore and she wonders where they are. After a few steps he's stopping them and she feels his fingers leave hers as he walks around her only to sneak his arms around her from the back.

"You can look now," he whispers in her ear and she shudders before she opens her eyes.

"Wow."

It slips out of her mouth before she can decide whether to let go of it or not. Around them is a beautiful meadow, with flowers growing everywhere and a lake at the end of the meadow. It almost looked like someone had intentionally sown the trees and bushes all around the meadow to keep it away from curious people.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" he asks and she nods.

"It is. What made you go through that wall of bushes and trees?"

"I thought I heard something," she can feel his shrug behind her. "You stay here while I'll set up our tent, take in everything," he says, giving her a kiss on her temple before leaving her to it.

She wants to argue, say she's perfectly fine to help him with their tent, but when she turns around to do it she finds herself unable to. He looks so peaceful, as if he's got absolutely everything he needs to be happy, and she isn't in the mood to destroy that. Instead she does what he told her too, she's taking everything in, and when he's struggling a bit with the tent she helps him without hesitation and without any argument from him. Once the tent is made she's pulling him down to kiss his lips once before she's lacing her fingers with his and pulling him with her towards the lake.

"This truly is beautiful," she says as they're standing still and she's leaning her head on his shoulder as they watch the sunset.

"Yeah, you are," he says and she looks up at him only to see him watching her instead of the view in front of them.

"Castle," she groans and he just smiles.

"Just stating the truth," he says and she leans her forehead on his shoulder with the blush blooming on her cheeks.

Together they watch the sunset until the sky's turning dark and the stars are making their appearances. And he's right, it's a perfect spot for stargazing. It's first when her stomach growls that he's kissing her forehead before pulling her back towards their tent.

"Come on, let's eat something," he says and she nods. "I made a pasta salad so that we don't need to make a fire tonight when you can't walk fully."

"That sounds perfect," she says as they sit down at some logs which were right next to their tent. She's starting to wonder if maybe Castle himself moved them there some time ago.

Lying in the grass later that night she's fiddling with his fingers, eyes up in the sky, stargazing. They've been chatting for quite some time before they both turn quiet, listening to the sound of the woods, the lake. She's surprised there's not that many insects out right now but she's definitely grateful for it, it wouldn't have been comfortable if they had been bitten by a bunch of mosquitoes.

Kate turns her head to the man beside her and sees his eyes being closed, and she thinks to herself of how much they've gone through. The tension in the beginning, how she gave into it quite soon, how it all turned more than she thought it would and should, how she screwed up, how they somehow ended their breakup quicker than she thought possible. She still can't really believe how quickly he took her back, after that hurt look in his eyes when she'd told him it was all sex for her she'd thought she'd have no chance of getting him back.

"How did you forgive me?" the question is out of her mouth before she can stop it, or even realize it is out.

"Huh?" he turns his head to meet her eyes, his blues confused at her question and she feels her cheeks hotten with the blush.

"Never mind," she shakes her head and looks up at the stars again.

He shuffles a bit beside her, laying on his side with his right hand trickling down her arm, teasing her skin with electricity. "What's on your mind?" he asks and she keeps her eyes on the stars.

"How come you took me back so easily?" she asks just above her breath, her fingers searching for his on her opposite arm. When she finds his fingers she's fiddling with them, her nerves not helping one bit.

"Oh," he says and he's quiet for a while.

She stays quiet too, doesn't want to interrupt whatever thoughts circling inside that mind of his. One part of her is scared he's going to start to think twice about his decision, but the other part, the bigger one, knows he loves just as much as she loves him. It's been months and she's honestly not sure why she's bringing it up, it's just kind of something that's been crossing her mind from time to time.

"Well, I think it's because it hurt too much not having you around. Believe me, I was so angry with you at first," he tells her and she looks at him. "I did my best to forget about you, and Alexis tried to help me think about everything else. While my mother on the other hand kept asking me if I was sure I shouldn't try to speak with you to find out what really happened because she was certain you hadn't meant what you said."

"Really?" she asks and he nods.

"My mother told me to go find you and talk to you, it was me who was stubborn not to," he tells her. "But when I saw you outside my door… I just couldn't keep myself away anymore. And when you confessed you were scared and wanted to date I felt like I was given a second shot and I didn't want to ruin it by continuing to be angry."

"How did you trust I wouldn't… hurt you… again?" she asks and he's leaning his head down to kiss her nose.

"Honestly I didn't trust you fully in the beginning. But you proved you wanted to fix it by all the trying you did," he tells her. "Besides," he adds,"I forgave you because I love you, and I honestly couldn't see myself not being with you, even if you hurt me."

"I'm sorry," she says and he shakes his head.

"If you hadn't said it we wouldn't have gotten over it." He leans down and leaves a peck on the tip of her nose. "Anyway, it's in the past," he says as he lays a kiss on her cheek. "How do you enjoy the stars?"

She looks up at him as a smile pulls up the sides of her lips. "I love it," she says as she lets her free hand land on his cheek, her fingers carefully caressing his skin.

It feels so intimate, this whole thing. It's just the two of them, under the stars, in this beautiful meadow. Kate finds herself wishing they can come here more often, perhaps even once every summer. She also starts to think about her father's cabin, about how she maybe could take him out there the next time they leave the city. She feels his eyes constantly on her and she bites her lower lip.

"You're staring," she says and he chuckles.

"Yeah, you're beautiful," he admits and she feels her cheeks blush.

"You're not so bad yourself, Castle," she mumbles and he leans down again, this time to claim her lips with his.

She can feel it was meant as just a quick kiss but before he can pull away she's deepening the kiss, letting her fingers stroke his cheek as she's also pulling him closer. His hands go to the sides of her body as the body of his own carefully moves on top of her. When she feels his weight being moved in between her legs she feels herself opening up to him and moaning at the feeling of him on top of her.

They're taking it slow, taking their time pleasuring each other as they take off each other's clothes. His lips kiss, nip, suck and tease every part of her skin and she can't deny how much she loves it. She repays the loving touches and when he's sliding inside her they're both sighing with relief before their breaths become more erratic and heavy. It's a whole other experience, making love in the grass on a dark night lit up by nothing but the stars and the moon. In a good way that is. It's actually kind of magical and she can't wait to do it all over again. Especially not when they're cuddling together in the aftermath with fingers tracing patterns all over each other's naked skin. It's making her shudder, which makes him chuckle.

"What?" she asks blissfully.

"Nothing, you cold?" his lips touch her forehead.

"A little," she admits. "But you keep me warm."

He hums and she snuggles closer to him to prove her point. "Well, maybe we should go inside the tent," he suggests and she shakes her head, which makes him chuckle again. "Why not?"

"This is just… perfect," she sighs as she yawns. "I don't want to move."

He chuckles but agrees. They're staying like that until she's almost asleep, then he's insisting they're moving inside the tent. And put night clothes on, against her better judgement. She would've preferred no clothes but she's grateful for the warmth. Also, when he sneaks his hand inside her shirt at her back she's satisfied enough to fall asleep with no struggle at all.

The next day they go skinny dipping, which involves a lot more lovemaking than they had figured or planned when they first dived into the lake. The rest of the day they gathered wood for their bonfire and just enjoyed nature when her ankle hurt a bit from all the walking. It is a lot better than the day before but it still needs rest, perhaps they can do a small hike on the last day they're here. Once they sit down at the bonfire, food in their stomachs and s'mores in the making she notices his hands are shaking a little bit and she wrinkles her forehead.

"What's wrong?" she asks and he looks at her with those blues, displaying a nervousness she hasn't seen in a long time.

"Nothing?" he more asks than states and it makes her even more suspicious.

She scoots closer to him, hooking her arm around his as she leans her head on his shoulder as she holds her stick with marshmallows above the fire. Once the marshmallows are good enough she's making the s'more as best she can without unhooking from him.

"You sure?" she asks as she starts to eat.

"Yeah, everything's perfect," he says as he too makes a s'more to eat.

"Then why are you nervous?" she asks, nudging her arm in his side.

He looks at her with widened eyes. "How can you tell?"

She chuckles and shakes her head as she leans closer to peck his lips. "I'm a detective Castle, it's part of my job to notice things." She puts the last bite of her s'more into her mouth.

"Yeah, well," he says as he squirms a bit. "I might have something else planned."

"Oh, yeah?" she asks and he takes a deep breath. "Hey?" she asks as she hugs his biceps with her free hand. "Why are you so nervous?"

He puts the last of his s'more in his mouth and he raises from his seat beside her in order to go towards their bags and she observes him with a tilted head, wondering what he's doing. He has trembling fingers as he roams through one of the bags and she wrinkles her nose, what's he so nervous about? It's starting to make her nervous.

"Rick?" she asks and he's turning towards her with his hands behind him.

"You know, ever since you came into my life I've become better, a better person, a more mature person," he starts saying and she can't help but wonder where he's going with this. "You make me feel things I never felt before and I don't think I ever want someone else the way I want you." He sits down in front of her, one knee knelt. "I know we've had quite a bumpy ride but I really think we're meant to be together. So," he takes a deep breath and something suddenly clicks in her mind. "Katherine Houghton Beckett, will you marry me?"

He holds out a ring with a big stone and she feels herself gasp with utter shock. "You're…" she starts by saying but the rest isn't coming out. Proposing.

"Okay, you're surprised," he says and she nods.

"Of course I am! You seemed so nervous I thought you were going to say something awful!" she exclaims without any holdback.

"By offering you a ring?" he asks and she laughs nervously.

"I'm sorry, I-" her voice is cut off when her mind realizes he's waiting for an answer.

He looks at her with observant and nervous eyes and she feels her heart beat faster as it all dawns on her. He's seriously asking her to marry him. He's… She thinks about it for a second. They've been together for quite some time now, and before that they had technically been together for a few months before she screwed it up, so it kind of makes sense. He loves her and she loves him. Gosh, she loves him. She'd only realized how much she loved him when she hadn't been with him those months and since she got him back it had been like the love for him has deepened further. She starts to envision getting married with him, to be walking down the aisle with her dad and finding him at the end of it. It makes her stomach flip with nerves. And butterflies.

"Yes," she whispers, barely louder than a breath.

"Yes?" his eyes widen with a smile entering his lips.

She nods. "Yes," she says again, louder this time before she's leaning down and crashing her lips onto his.

When his tongue asks for permission she immediately grants it and feels his taste mixed with s'more against her own tongue. Without really knowing it she's pushing him back into the grass as she lands on top of him. They chuckle as they feel the warmth from the bonfire beside them and she feels his lips kiss her nose before he sits them up again, her straddling his hips now. And he's reaching out the ring again, his eyes asking her again without voicing it. She bites her lower lip as she hands him her left hand, watching with awe when he's sliding the ring onto her finger. Once it's on she's wiggling her fingers a bit.

"Woah, it's big," she comments as she feels the heavy rock balance on her finger.

He gently caresses her fingers. "No, you just have remarkably tiny fingers," he teases and she chuckles with him. "I love you Kate."

Her eyes leave the ring and lock with his blues, her arms going around his neck, her fingers sneaking into his hair. "I love you too Richard Edgar Alexander Rodgers Castle," she says and he smirks at her.

"Good," he says before claiming her lips with his again and they sink right back into the grass.

One time thing my ass.

THE END

A/N: Also, thank you all so much for all your feedback during this ficlet and I really hope you did enjoy this ending even though I myself is a bit skeptic of it (it's the only thing I can see in my brain though so I'll stick with it). Feel free to review your thoughts (in a nice tone that it of course), and hope I'll see you in my next stories (when I write them lol). Until next time, xxxx