Chapter 7: In the Light of Day

When Castle opened his eyes the next morning, the first thing he noticed was a strand of long auburn hair tickling his nose. His brain, still sluggish with sleep, took a moment to remember the previous night, and he realized with a start that the owner of said hair was none other than Kate Beckett. Slowly, he began to process other small details, like his own arm wrapped around her waist, and her hand on top of his, as if she was trying to hold him in place. Gradually, through the fog taking residence in his brain, he came to the realization that he was indeed spooning Kate Beckett. They were in bed together. True, they hadn't really slept together, but they had shared a bed nonetheless.

After a heated makeout session the previous night, which had left them more than a little breathless, he had suggested that they take things slowly. The look of gratitude she dedicated to him was answer enough, and they had fallen asleep in each other's arms.

And now, in the light of day, he felt his fear spiking as he thought about what Beckett would say when she woke up. Their current situation had all the potential to become one of the best mornings of his life… or one of the most awkward.

All of his nervous thoughts vanished from his mind the moment he felt his companion beginning to stir, though. In fact, as soon as she turned and her green, sleepy eyes locked with his, he couldn't think straight at all. Neither of them spoke for a minute, and the world seemed to go still as they both processed the fact that they were in bed together. He didn't know what to expect, and just as he was about to make an excuse to leave the bed, she offered him a lazy smile.

"Good morning, Kate," he said, not able to contain the affection he could hear in his own voice.

He found the blush that stained her cheeks when she heard her first name adorable.

"Good morning… Castle."

"Don't you mean Rick?" he chuckled.

"No. You're Rick to everyone else. You're Castle to me."

"Wow, that almost sounded… cheesy, Detective."

"Shut up. It's too early," she groaned, burying her face in her pillow.

"You're right. I'll let you go back to sleep," he said, suddenly insecure. Maybe the previous night hadn't mean the same for her as it had for him. After waiting that long for a chance with Beckett, he was suddenly afraid that last night was all there was going to be to their relationship. After all, Beckett wasn't known for facing her feelings.

She must have sensed that something was wrong, because she opened one eye to look at him, still keeping half of her face buried in the pillow.

"What is it, Castle?"

"What? Oh, it's nothing," he said, trying to hide his feelings of unease. "Nothing at all. Go back to sleep, Beckett."

"Castle…" she said, lifting her head slightly so she could dedicate him a warning look.

"It's just… I don't know what last night meant to you," he explained, feeling like a schoolboy again. "But we don't have to speak about it right now. Go back to sleep."

"Wait, you're worried that I might regret it?"

"Eh… no," Castle said, although the words came out sounding more like a question.

"If I didn't want anything to do with you, would I be doing this?" she muttered, pressing her lips against his.

"Ehm… I don't know?"

She rolled her eyes.

"Shut up, Castle."

And she kissed him again.

The Rolling Stones would be horrified if they could hear what Castle was doing to one of their songs. His voice travelled through the closed door to the bathroom, where he was taking a shower, and made its way to Beckett, who was finishing getting ready to go downstairs. When Castle all but crowed a particularly high note, Beckett couldn't help but smile widely. That man was too much.

She was pulling at the zipper of one of her boots when someone knocked. Curious, she crossed the room and opened the door, to discover a young man in a catering uniform.

"May I help you?"

"Miss Fitzberger wanted you to know that the brunch will be served in thirty minutes," the boy said, nodding his head in a formal gesture..

"If you're here to interrupt us, you're eight hours late," a voice said behind her. Apparently, Castle was out of the shower.

"What?" the boy asked, his brow furrowing.

"Never mind," Beckett answered, laughing and closing the door in the confused boy's face.

She turned, fully prepared to roll her eyes at Castle, her customary response to his jokes, but the sight of him clad in only a towel, drops falling from his damp hair and into his broad chest, disarmed her completely.

At that moment, Beckett finally accepted the name of her feelings for Castle. It was love. In its early stages, yes, but unmistakable nonetheless. And just being able to admit it to herself was a very rewarding feeling. She felt free at last. Free to discover where that "thing" with Castle could take her. They could take things slowly, or they could throw caution to the wind and explore the full potential of their relationship.

And there were better ways of spending their time than worrying about what was to come. So she sauntered towards Castle, almost predatorily, feeling a grin blossom in her lips at the way he started to babble.

"Kate, we have to be downstairs in half an hour…"

"They can wait," she said as she reached for his towel.

They were the last ones to arrive to brunch, but it was so worth it.

When they finally reached the party, the first person they encountered was Patricia- no surprise there. Remembering their conversation from the previous night, Beckett dedicated a warm smile to the woman.

"Good morning, Patricia. Did you sleep well?"

"Better than some, apparently," she replied, cooly. "Are you feeling okay, darling? I could spot the bags under your eyes from across the garden."

Beckett and Castle exchanged a surprised look. Something was not right. The entire weekend, Patricia had been inconsiderate and self-absorbed, but she hadn't ever tried to purposefully harm them with her words.

"Is everything okay, Patricia?" Castle asked tentatively, taking a step closer to Beckett and resting a hand in the small of her back in what seemed to be an involuntary gesture of support.

"There you are," a well-dressed man said, approaching them. "I was beginning to think you had left me alone with our guests."

"Albert, darling!" Patricia exclaimed, smiling broadly at the man. The expression was obviously forced, though, judging by the way her eyes were a bit panicked, like she wasn't comfortable with who appeared to be her fiancé. "Here, let me introduce you to Katie, an old friend of mine, and her… and the famous Rick Castle."

"Famous? Should your name be familiar?" Albert asked disdainfully, glancing at them for the first time.

Beckett turned to look at Castle, finding him rooted in the spot, completely speechless, and seemingly unable to close his mouth.

"Oh, darling, Rick is a novelist," Patricia explained. "I was telling him just how much we love his books, right, dear?"

Albert shifted his attention back to Castle, and shrugged his shoulder. "Sorry, man. Never heard of you. I never read novels, they're too frivolous for my taste."

At that, Beckett felt anger unfurling inside of her, and risked a glance at Castle, less she say something she would regret later. When she saw him, she barely could hold back a guffaw, though. He was staring at the other man as if he had just said that he liked to boil puppies alive. The writer looked at her, his expression turning to pure resentment when he saw her fighting a grin, and she turned back to Albert.

"Yes, you're right. As a homicide detective, I can assure you that mystery novels are full of clichés and procedural mistakes," Beckett told the man, and she could all but feel Castle's indignation at her treacherous words. Before he could butt in, she continued. "That's why I love Castle's books so much, because of their authenticity. He takes the time to really learn how things are done, and that's worthy of admiration."

Beckett turned to glance at Castle, and the look of gratitude and affection in his eyes was enough to make her feel dizzy.

"Whatever," Albert broke the spell, doing nothing to mask his boredom. "Excuse me." And with those parting words, he got lost among the crowd.

Too stunned to fully process the rudeness of their host, Beckett turned to Patricia, looking for an explanation, and for a moment, she could see a shadow of shame and sadness in the other woman's eyes. But it was gone in a matter of seconds, replaced by a look of disdain.

"Maybe you're too engrossed in your little world of literary romance, and you don't know how a normal relationship works," Patricia said, defending her fiancé. "Not everything is happiness and laughter, you know? You have to make an effort and be willing to put the needs of your significant other before yours."

"I think that relationships are meant to make your life easier," Beckett argued. "The reason to share your life with another person is to find a new happiness that you could never get on your own. If instead of a smile, a relationship puts a frown on your face, I don't see how it's worth it to continue. But, you're right. What do I know, with my ordinary life, right?"

The moment she'd finished her speech, a twenty-something girl appeared next to Patricia. All the people in the Hamptons must have ninja skills, so they could come and go unnoticed at parties.

"Patricia, we're ready for you," the younger woman said.

"That's my cue. Excuse me," Patricia told Castle and Beckett, before walking away with the other woman.

"What's gotten into her?" Castle wondered aloud while they watched her navigating the crowd.

"I don't know," Beckett answered with a deep sigh. "Maybe I shouldn't have snapped. Now she will tell her friends, and I'll be the focus of their gossip in their next coven."

Castle's chortle startled her, and she looked at him questioningly, but before either of them could say anything, a clatter raised from behind them and they turned to see Patricia standing on a podium facing the crowd, a champagne flute in one of her hands, ready to begin her speech.

"May I have your attention, please?" she said, and silence fell among the guests, who were looking expectantly at Patricia, like she was about to reveal the source of eternal youth.

"Don't think you're off the hook, Beckett," Castle whispered in her ear, making her jump, while the rest of the guests applauded politely at something Patricia had just said. "Coven? What do you mean?"

Beckett knew that Castle was trying to distract her from the blonde woman's words about her perfect life, and she felt a new rush of gratitude towards the writer. So, as Patricia gave her speech, Beckett told him in a hushed tone about her outing with Patricia's friends the day before, sparing no details, not even the women's nicknames and the reason behind them.

"Katherine Beckett, you should be ashamed of yourself!" he exclaimed when she finished, appearing affronted.

She looked at him, bemused. She would have thought that Castle would find the funny side of the situation.

"A coven!" he continued. "A coven is a gathering of witches. That is not the proper word for a group of vixens."

She rolled her eyes. Of course he would go for the literary angle. It figures.

"I demand you use the correct word for it," he pressed on.

"Okay, writer boy, how do you call a group of vixens?" Beckett asked, raising her eyebrows at him.

"I don't know, a cluster? A hive?" he shrugged.

"A bunch? A pack?" she fired back, feeling herself grinning even wider.

"A herd!"

They continued throwing suggestions back and forth while Patricia babbled on the stand about how hard it was to plan a wedding. Their banter, however, was interrupted with a thunderous applause. Together, they turned their attention to the podium, where Albert had joined his fiancée and was kissing her chastely on the lips. All around them, the guests went crazy, as if that public display of affection was the most passion-filled exchange they had witnessed in years.

After two days feeling like a spectator of a bad soap opera, Beckett was tired of the drama. She was about to suggest Castle that they go find some food, something that would keep them distracted from Patricia's show, when she felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Kate, can I see your mother's ring?" Castle asked her, urgency in his voice.

"What, why?"

"Do you trust me?"

"Yes," she answered without hesitation.

"Then, can I see it?"

Furrowing her brow, she unclasped the chain and let it fall to his outstretched hand.

"Thank you. One thing that I know about this kind of people is that they don't like to share the spotlight," he explained, freeing the ring from its chain.

"Right, so- What are you doing?," she asked, horrified, when Castle fell to one knee in front of her. "Castle, get up. Now."

The people around them noticed started to notice the scene, and a chorus of excited whispers filled the air. Nothing like a good show to keep the people in the Hamptons occupied.

"Castle, don't even think about it," she warned in a quiet, yet murderous tone.

"Katherine Houghton Beckett," he proclaimed in a thunderous manner, completely ignoring her.

"How do you know my middle name?" she asked.

"Shhh! I'm trying to focus here," he muttered, clearly enjoying himself, if his infuriating smirk was anything to go by.

"I'm gonna kill you," she hissed.

He just winked at her, and changed back into a louder tone of voice.

"Every morning I bring you a cup of coffee just so I can see a smile on your face, because you are the most remarkable, maddening, challenging, frustrating person I've ever met. And I know that we can be extraordinary together. Hell, we already are," he added looking appreciatively at her and wiggling his eyebrows.

She rolled her eyes. He was unbelievable.

"So, Kate," he continued. "Will you marry me?"

Beckett looked him in the eye, fully intent on saying "no", and opened her mouth to answer him just that.

"Yes," she said instead.

Wait, what?

Castle was putting the last of their bags in the trunk of his Ferrari when Beckett felt a presence at her side. Finally used to her friend's gift for apparition, she was unsurprised to see Patricia there, with a warm smile.

"I hope you had a good time," the woman said, and after a beat, she continued. "Sorry about earlier, this party has been too stressful, and with Albert's sudden appearance… Anyway, it has been good to see you."

"You too. I hope you and Albert are very happy together."

There was a pause, in which neither of them seemed to know what to say, until both of them took a step forward at the same time, embracing.

"Take care, Kate."

"You too, Trish."

"Give my best to Jim, would you?" Patricia said. "And Kate… I know that you and Castle will be very happy together."

"Trish, we're not really… Well, I guess now we are, but when we came here..."

"I know. You were never a very good actress," she said, and Beckett gaped at her, not knowing what to say. "You really make a cute couple," Patricia told her.

She turned to see Castle chatting animatedly with one of the men in charge of the parking space, and couldn't help the smile that formed on her face.

"Thank you," she said, hugging her old friend one last time.

Beckett would never have thought that travelling with Castle could be an awkward experience. Unnerving and trying, yes, but never awkward. He was always chatting away, or fiddling with the radio, or humming quietly to himself. Anything to avoid the silence that in that moment was traveling in the car with them.

She had never been good with silences, so she blurted out the thing that was bothering her.

"That proposal was very convincing," she said, and winced the moment the words left her mouth. In the driver's seat, Castle just smiled.

"As was your answer, dear Detective," he replied.

"Hmm, about that…" she started to fidget in her seat, playing with the hem of her shirt and refusing to look Castle in the eye. She had to come up with a way to clear the air between them without turning him down completely. He saved her from the headache with a light chuckle.

"Don't worry, Kate, I'm not going to make you set a date or anything. I know it was fake."

She sighed in relief, and watched how his shoulders deflated at her evident relaxation, his hands clenching at the wheel. He didn't think she regretted the whole thing, did he?

"Not everything," she assured him, but she could see in his posture that he wasn't yet convinced. "Which reminds me, what time will you be picking me up?" she added nonchalantly.

"What? When?" he questioned, clearly confused.

"On Friday. For our first official date," she clarified, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

The change in Castle when he heard those words was instantaneous. The light was suddenly back in his eyes, and the grin on his face stretched from ear to ear.

"Friday is a long time away, but I have a lot of planning to do, so it works perfectly. Do you have Saturday free?"

"Yes," she answered, feeling the butterflies taking residence in her stomach at the prospect of what undoubtedly would be a remarkable evening. Castle didn't do anything halfway, so she knew she was in for one hell of a ride.

"Perfect. I'll think of something. Oh, and by the way… see that house over there?," he asked, pointing at a huge property, at least twice the size as Patricia's.

"The one with the white porch?"

"Yep."

"What about it?" she asked.

"That's mine."

Beckett's jaw dropped open while she gazed out of the window at the impressive house.

"We're so coming here this summer," she muttered.

And that's it, folks. Thank you very much to everyone who has read, reviewed and/or followed this story. And I would like to say a special thanks to L (encantadaa), my wonderful beta, for all her patience, help and encouragement.

See you in the next one!