A/N: last chapter guys… thanks for hanging in there. The alerts on this story were AWESOME, and I certainly appreciate it. =)). Enjoy the casket fluff.
Castle poked his head around the corner, wanting to get a glimpse of her before she saw him.
Kate Beckett lay on the bed, her head against the pillow, as she seemingly stared at her hands as she gripped the material of the bed sheets, bunching it up in her hands and then releasing it again. It seemed like an aimless action, but it seemed to entertain her. He forgot how beautiful she was when he wasn't with her, and every time he saw her, a pain hit his chest reminding him how incredibly special she was. There was only one Kate Beckett.
He smiled and stepped into the room.
"Castle…" slowly, her face seemed to light up, as if she hadn't ever expected to see him again.
"Hi, Kate," he grinned as he approached the bed. He wanted to get as close to her as humanly possible. "Shove over," he insisted. "I need to rest."
Kate laughed. "In here with me?"
"Sure," he replied.
"Nice try," she said.
Castle pulled out his bottom lip, pouting like a five-year-old.
"You think that's going to work?"
He started moaning softly, like a puppy dog.
"Oh, come on then…" she caved, secretly wanting the same thing, but not being brave enough to voice it. "Only because I can't stand the whining," she said moving over carefully, wincing in pain as it struck her chest unexpectedly. He climbed in bedside, his arm up over his head, as he moved it over slightly to finger the curls in her soft hair.
"Ryan and Esposito are booking the guy that killed your mom," he explained quietly. "He is gonna be locked up for a long time, Kate."
"Good," she stated matter-of-factly. "I don't know what I'm going to do now. It's funny to be without a purpose. It has always been finding my mother's killer, and now… it's a strange feeling."
Castle grinned to himself as he was hit with an idea, far beyond any of his best-selling ones. This was perfect, and this was real.
"You know, that was a pretty clever decoy, Castle," Kate smiled looking somewhat impressed. "Using your phone like that. Ryan was here when you called."
"Oh," he shrugged humbly. "You know me, always a flare for the dramatic."
"I'm glad," she said quietly.
"Was that a compliment from you, Kate Beckett?" he teased enjoying the fact that she was currently vulnerable.
She rolled her eyes and turned her head, evidently trying to hide the blush that filled her cheeks.
"Kate…" he whispered.
She turned her gaze back to him, their eyes locked and both of them arched their neck to close the gap between them. Their lips brushed, and a fire they had tried to bury for the past three years ignited inside their bodies, spreading out like wildfire. He closed his eyes, as did she, as he parted his lips beneath hers, savoring the taste of her kiss as his finger curled around the strands of her hair.
She moaned in response.
"Castle…" she murmured.
He disconnected his lips from hers, and opened his eyes, staring at her with admiration. "Do you want me to stop?" he whispered.
"No," she smiled.
He kissed her again, this time for a longer period of time, before Castle pulled away.
"I think you should marry me, Kate Beckett…" he smiled kissing her cheek, this time his lips pressing lighter and lighter on her skin, resembling butterfly kisses.
"I think you should keep dreaming," she laughed.
"Come on," he said losing his smile and watching her intently. He had nearly died, she had nearly died. What were they waiting for? "The two of us have had more than our share of near-death experiences. And you said yourself you need a new purpose in life. Why not make it me? I love you… I know you love me… so, prove it."
"By marrying you?" she asked with amusement.
Castle nodded. "Yes. I promise to give you your space when you need it, I promise to be there when you need me, and I'll do whatever you want… whatever you need, I'll do anything to make you happy, Kate. What do you say?"
She seemed to consider the possibility, which caused Castle's heart to beat erratically against the wall of his chest. "I say give me a day to think about it."
Castle nodded. "A day to think about how to say yes," he said. "I think I can handle that."
Kate had never been the type of person to jump without analyzing a situation, and he knew her enough to know she needed the time to think about how much her life would change. He respected that.
"Where would we live?" she asked curiously.
"Wherever you want," he stated. "Your apartment… my apartment… or we can even get our own house, one that's just ours. Whatever you want," he said.
She smiled at the idea.
"And just likeEsplanie, any fan of us, would call us Caskett," he grinned.
"That's a stupid name!" she stated.
"I kinda like it," he replied.
"That's because your name comes first," she pointed out.
"Would you prefer Beckstle?" he challenged.
Kate laughed. "No, I'd prefer Kaick… it has a nice ring to it, wouldn't you agree?"
"Yes," he said leaning over to kiss her again, silencing the rest of the conversation. "I love you…" he murmured against her mouth. "Kate Beckett… I love you."
Kate pulled back to look him in the eye. "I love you, too, Rick… I don't want to waste anymore time. I don't want to spend time with some other guy when all I really want to do is be with you. I used to think that you would play around with me until you got bored," she admitted, her face etched with sincerity. "But you have proven to me time and time again that you won't just walk away when the going gets tough. I will marry you. I trust you, Rick."
"I'm glad," he said. "Because I'm never leaving your side. I promise."
"I believe you," she said. This time it was Kate who made the next move.
I tried to make it fluffy and cute, and obviously I had plans to add "Caskett" so… did you like it? Reviews are awesome, but since I have nothing to bargain with, I guess you don't have to… or you could brighten my day, and make me smile by leaving your opinion, good or bad are welcome! =)).
