Chapter Five
Carriage Ride
Season Five AU

It's cute how he insists she wear a blindfold, as if she doesn't know all the sounds and smells of the city. As if she doesn't know that they're at the bottom edge of Central Park as soon as she steps out of the car and smells the unmistakable combination of car exhaust, hot dogs, and horses.

Rick unties the fabric and steps to the side, watching her, his eyes bright with anticipation. And, for some reason, nerves. "Well?" he prods when she's silent.

Kate flashes him a grin. "Is this your version of buying me a pony?" she teases, bumping his arm with hers.

Rick grins. "I'm kind of renting one for a while," he shoots back, taking her hand and looping it through his crooked elbow. "You said you've always wanted to take a carriage ride around the park, so here we are."

Kate leans back so she can look up at him, their height difference more pronounced since she's in sneakers instead of her usual heels. "When did I say that?" she asks. She doesn't remember that conversation.

"Oh, awhile ago. We were here on a case and you mentioned it."

Kate scrunches her brows, lost in thought. They haven't had a case that brought them to this part of the park in ages. "Which case?"

"The vampires."

"Seriously?" She gapes at him, mouth open in surprise. "Castle, that was like three years ago."

He shrugs. "I guess it was, yeah."

"You remembered a silly little comment like that?" She's overcome with the need to touch him, kiss him, show just how grateful - and overwhelmed - that he remembers something she said in passing. She steps in front of him and takes his face in her hands before tugging him down for a kiss. "I love you," she breathes against his mouth when he pulls away. "I don't deserve you."

Rick sneaks his hands under her coat and pinches her side. "I won't argue with that," he jokes. "Come on, we're using up our time."

He helps her into the carriage and sits close when he joins her, wraps his arm around her and pulls her into his side. She lets him cocoon her in his arms, sharing his warmth, and she drops her head to his shoulder.

When they slow down near the entrance to the zoo, she doesn't think anything of the fact that they're where they had their first official date. The park is relatively empty this late, so they didn't stop for traffic, but she assumes there was a squirrel or something that the driver doesn't want spooking the horse. And she feels Rick stiffen against her, but she figures it's from the chill in the air.

Until he speaks.

"Hey, can we talk for a sec?" he asks, his mouth at her forehead.

Kate inhales sharply, her whole body tensing. Shit.

"What about?" she manages, in what she thinks is a calm voice.

"Us."

Oh God, he's breaking up with me. Instead of jumping out of the carriage and fleeing like her instincts are telling her to do, she repeats what he said. "Us?"

"Yeah." Rick withdraws his arm from her shoulders and moves to the opposite bench, takes her hands and looks directly in her eyes. "I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about a lot of things. Mostly us, and our relationship, where it's going. What the future holds."

Kate holds her breath.

"I want you in my life, Kate," he continues. "You've made me a better man. And I can't imagine growing old without you."

He dips his hand in his pocket and pulls out a small, square box. Opening it, he reveals a ring, simple but elegant, a large diamond set in a diamond solitaire and a plain silver band. "Will you marry me?"

She answers before he even finishes the question. As soon as he says the word "marry," the "yes" falls from her lips, and she surges forward, almost launches herself into his arms. She repeats her answer even as she kisses him over and over again.

"Yes, yes, yes."

Eventually the sound of a throat clearing pulls them apart, and Kate looks at the driver, her face flushing with embarrassment.

"Sorry," she says, moving back to the bench.

"We can head back, Colin," Rick tells the grinning man before joining Kate again.

They spend the ride back to the starting point holding each other, his arms around her waist and hers cupping his jaw as they kiss.