Kate sat in bed a week later, with her ankle propped up on a pile of pillows. She was reading her already-well-worn copy of Frozen Heat, and she could hear Rick typing away on his laptop in his office, just a few feet and an open door away.

"Hey babe, do you need anything? Water, food?"

Kate smiled and closed her book, tossing it on the nightstand.

"How about my fiancé?"

Rick poked his head in the doorway, grinning like a dork. Kate just laughed at him and beckoned him with her finger. "Come over here."

Rick came over to the bed and sat next to Kate. She grabbed his face and kissed it, tangling her fingers in his hair. After a minute or two, he stopped, leaning his forehead against hers.

"Nice try," he murmured. She groaned and flopped onto her back. Castle smiled at her and stroked her hair.

"I'm sorry, honey," Rick said, putting his hand on her cheek. "I know how hard this has been for you. And I wish I could make it easier."

"I know, honey. And I love you for that," Kate said, looking up at Rick. "Can you make me a promise?"

"Of course," Rick said, lying down on the bed bedside her, their faces on a few inches apart.

"I do want to go to the Hamptons," Kate admitted, blushing slightly. "I know I fought you on it, and I was a bit of bitch about it, but I've never been to your Hamptons house and I would really love to go. Maybe with Alexis, too. Once the doctor says it's okay, of course."

Rick grinned, leaned towards her for a quick kiss. "That's a wonderful idea, Kate! And you've got the time now – Gates called while you were sleeping a few days ago and I convinced her to give you paid leave until a doctor cleared you to go back to work."

Kate laughed. "How did you do that?"

"By appealing to what she cares about most: her Precinct's reputation. Because it would look bad if a gimp cop was out in the field, and couldn't bring down killers, and it would irresponsible of her to let someone as determined as you try to do her work when it's not 100%," Rick said proudly. He felt pretty good about having beat Gates. Castle: 1; Gates: 0.

Kate just smiled and kissed him again. "I can just picture it now… white sand, cool breeze, the smell of hamburgers, sunshine….."

xxxx

Kate had described it perfectly. Two weeks later, she had been cleared by her doctors, and she and Rick were standing on the backyard deck of his house in the Hamptons, which was right on the beach. Kate had a boot for whenever she had to walk for more than 15 minutes, but she wasn't wearing it now. She kicked off her flat sandals and dropped Rick's hand, running for the water. Her red sundress fluttered in the breeze, and her curly hair shone. Rick grinned and ran after her, pulling of his white linen button-down shirt. The second he reached Kate, he grabbed her and twirled her around just inches above the cold, clear waves. She wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist.

"Wow, Rick, this is… this is amazing!," she exclaimed, trying to catch her breath. He grinned and kissed her neck.

"I'm glad you like it."

They played in the waves for a while, enjoying the perfect weather. Rick ran back up to the house for a few seconds to put on Jason Mraz, and they danced around in the water, spinning and jumping and laughing. After an hour or so, Rick insisted Kate take a break from being on her feet, and she agreed because she was getting tired. Rick carried her bridal-style to a couch in the downstairs living room, just a few feet from the double doors leading to the beach, so she could enjoy the view.

Alexis was arriving tomorrow, and in a few days, the Ryans, Lanie, and Javi were going to join them. But for now, it was just Rick and Kate. Rick brought their bags to the master bedroom upstairs, then grabbed Kate's favorite comfy gray sweater. As perfect as the weather was, it got cold at night. He got them each a beer and sat on the couch next to Kate, handing her the beer and tossing the sweater in her lap. She grinned.

"Thanks, Rick." She held up her beer. "To time off and enjoying life."

Rick clinked his beer with hers, smiling. "And to my beautiful fiancé, who looks so gorgeous that it's killing me how long we've gone without sex."

Kate threw her head back and laughed. "Wow, way to ruin the moment, Castle."

"Sorry!," he said, not looking sorry at all. He sighed. "But you just look so insanely hot in that dress, and it's been 3 weeks, and restraining myself has been really hard."

She smiled and took another swig of her beer before setting it down on the coffee table. "Well, then why don't you show me the master bedroom?"

He wiggled his eyebrows before sweeping her up into his arms and carrying her up the stairs. She took his face in her hands and kissed him.

"And for the record," she whispered sexily. "It's been hard for me too."

xxxx

Later that night, Kate sat in bed in her pajamas, reading InStyle. Rick had insisted he serve her dinner in bed, so she could rest her ankle.

"Burgers and fries!," Rick sang, entering the bedroom with a plate in each hand. Kate grinned and put down her magazine.

"Thanks," she said, taking her plate from him. "This smells amazing."

Rick smiled and sat down next to her. "No problem."

"So," Kate said, in between bites. "We need to start doing some wedding planning, now that we set a date."

Rick nodded and swallowed. "Sounds good. The first thing we should do is a choose a venue…. sometimes those need to be booked months in advance." He got up and went over to the dresser, where a bottle of red wine and 2 glasses sat. He poured them each a glass and sat back down next to Kate.

"So, the big question is, where do you want to get married?," he asked her, handing her a glass.

"Hmm," she said thoughtfully. "I don't know, I've never really thought about it. What do you think? I mean, you've done this before."

Rick nodded. "Yeah, I have. But I don't want you to think about that, okay? This day is about you and me. And we have some time to decide what we want. And as long as you're the one next to me, I don't care where we get married."

She squeezed his hand and smiled, then yawned. Rick picked up both of their plates. He handed Kate her pill box from the night table, and she took her antidepressant and a few painkillers with the glass of water she had placed there earlier. She lay back on the pillows, stretching her arms out. She yawned again.

"Perfect timing! I was just about to suggest that you get some rest."

Kate pouted, but let Rick re-situate her ankle under the covers before he pulled the comforter over her body, tucking in right under her chin. She laughed softly.

"Gonna read me a bedtime story, Castle?"

He sat down next to her and smiled, nodding. "Once upon a time, there was a sexy cop. But she was more than just a pretty face and hot body. She was smart, clever, brave, and would do anything to bring killers to justice. Like every hero, she had a loved one to avenge: her mother. This sexy cop fought tirelessly to bring the mother's murderer to justice, even after 13 years. And she had help – a tough, ex-military cop, his partner, a kind Irishman, and a devilishly handsome author. Together, the four of them solved crimes, and they were awesome at it. And the beautiful cop married the handsome author, and they had lots of smart, gorgeous children. And they always loved each other, no matter what."

Kate smiled. "I like that story." Her eyelids slowly closed, and she mumbled, "Good night."

Rick kissed her forehead. "Goodnight, my love."

He got up and took their glasses and plates down to the kitchen, loading the dishwasher and doing the rest of the dishes by hand. As he dried his hands, he stared at a framed picture of him and Alexis that hung on the kitchen wall. She was about 9 years old, and she was sitting in his lap, his arms around her. He smiled and then turned off the kitchen light, heading back upstairs. He couldn't help but think about his and Kate's future kids, and bringing them here for summers, to play on the beach and make memories.

He took off his jeans and crawled into bed next to Kate in his boxers and undershirt. He turned on his side and scooted a little closer to Kate, who had already fallen asleep. He caught a glimpse of Kate's engagement ring and smiled to himself, not believing this was his life.

xxxx

The next morning, Rick and Kate were sitting in the living room, drinking coffee, when the doorbell rang. Kate put her hand on Rick's arm and stood up.

"I got it."

"Kate, your boot!," Rick protested. She just shook her head. "I can do this."

Kate opened the door and grinned.

"Alexis!"

Alexis stepped into the doorway and wrapped her arms around Kate, squeezing her.

"Kate! You're walking!"

"Yep," Kate said cheerfully. She looked Alexis up and down as Rick jumped up from the couch. In a colorful maxidress and pretty sandals, she looked healthy and happy. Her hair was braided, and her smile was bright. "Alexis, you look wonderful!"

Rick nodded in agreement. "How is the first month in the dorm treating you?"

Alexis hugged her dad. "Great. Same as the last time you asked me, and the time before that, and your text the second day I moved in," she laughed.

"I'm just glad you're enjoying yourself," Rick said, playing with a free strand of Alexis's red hair. Alexis smiled at both Rick and Kate.

"I am. And I'm so glad you're okay, Kate. I was so worried about you."

Kate smiled. "Thanks, Alexis. Javi said you really helped him out, too."

Alexis nodded. "We talked about what happened. I wanted to make sure he didn't blame himself, you know? And besides, we're all practically family anyway."

Rick kissed Alexis's hair. "That's great, sweetie. Hey, do you want me to grab your stuff from the cab?"

Alexis nodded. "Yes, please! Thanks, dad."

Rick headed out the door, and Kate and Alexi sat down on the couch.

"Alexis, have you decided on your major yet?"

"No," Alexis admitted, sighing. "There are just too many to pick from! How do I know if I've chosen the right one?"

Kate nodded sympathetically. "Have you ever thought about being a therapist, or a counselor? You seem to be really good at helping people. From what Javi said, it sounds like you really know how to help people deal with the hard stuff."

"I never though about that," Alexis said thoughtfully. "But I like it… helping people always makes me feel good. Remember when I was interning at the Precinct, and I found that photo album, and returned it to the woman it belonged to?"

Kate nodded and her face broke out into a grin. "I remember that! I was so amazed at your work ethic and determination. I mean, I didn't think you were your father, but I was surprised that with your parents, you were so different. Not in a bad way, of course."

Alexis laughed it off with a wave of her hand. "No, it's okay. I definitely don't inherit certain things from my parents, but I'd like to think my work ethic is like yours, actually. I know we're not actually related, but…"

Kate smiled. "We definitely share a few traits."

"What do you guys share?," Rick asked, wheeling Alexis's suitcase behind him.

"A work ethic," Alexis informed him with a twinkle in her eye. "That took you a while, what's up?"

Rick sighed. "The cab driver was a fan."

Kate and Alexis laughed.

"Aww, honey, I'm sorry your life is so tragically difficult," Kate said with mock-sympathy. She stood up and smiled, her eyes sparkling. She lifted an eyebrow. "Who wants to go swimming?"

Alexis and Rick raised their hands, grinning at each other. "Me!"