Author's Note: Thank you to everyone for your lovely reviews! And if there's any 'non-date' you'd like to see, please let me know!

4x11 – Till Death Do Us Part

"Shall we?"

Kate smiles, links her arm through his and murmurs some sort of response but Castle doesn't catch it over the pounding of his heart, the blood rushing in his ears.

Because Kate Beckett is now his wedding date and they're walking down the aisle together and it's not their wedding and she's not wearing a white dress but in the images his mind is invoking, she looks very much like a stunning bride.

The room is already filling up and they slide into the small gap on one end of a bench, Castle's fantasy coming to an abrupt end as she un-links their arms and steps in in front of him. There's enough room for the both of them but just barely, and Castle can feel the heat of Kate's thigh on the bench next to his. He squirms uncomfortably, a rather unsubtle effort to put a bit of space between them because between the wedding atmosphere and her dress and her smile and the way she so casually suggested that perhaps third time was the charm, Castle is fairly certain he's not going to make it through the night without kissing her.

A soft smile graces Kate's lips all through the ceremony, and Castle spends the entire time subtly glancing back and forth between the happy couple at the front of the room and the beautiful woman sitting next to him.

For as much as she pretends to avoid seriously considering the idea of marriage (and can he blame her, really, given the number of cheating spouses she deals with on a weekly basis?), he can see in her eyes that she's entranced by the beauty and magic of the day. That her inner romantic is peeking through the cracks.

Castle doesn't miss the sidelong glance she sends his way as Ryan and Jenny share their first kiss as husband and wife. He smirks to himself, feels a wave of hope and love wash over him.

Maybe this isn't so out of reach after all.

"Dance with me," Castle murmurs, setting his drink aside and fixing his eyes on Kate.

Her eyes lift to his. "What?"

He stands and extends a hand. "Dance with me, Kate."

She barely suppresses a shiver at the sound of her first name rolling off of his tongue and before her mind has a chance to concoct a set of excuses, she's setting aside her own glass and taking his hand, allowing him to lead her onto the dance floor.

They find an open space near the middle of the floor and Castle wastes no time in wrapping an arm firmly around her waist and holding her close. Kate hesitates before looping her free arm around his neck, linking her fingers through his as he clings to her right hand. She feels his arm tighten a bit as he cradles her lower back, guiding her as he gently sways to the music.

She spends most of the first song avoiding meeting his eyes because the way he's been looking at her this afternoon is anything but innocent and there are far too many emotions in his gaze that she's not sure she's ready to face. She's getting there. She's at least accepted her own feelings for him now and instead of ignoring the heat she feels rushing to her cheeks or blaming her erratic heartbeat on the champagne, she accepts that he's the cause for all of it.

She knows how she feels about him.

And she can see in his eyes how he feels about her.

Which is why this dance has so quickly turned into more than a dance.

During the first song, Castle tries every tactic he can think of to coax her eyes up to his, but to no avail. When the music ends and a new melody begins, he refuses to loosen his hold on her. Not that she wants to walk away, exactly. The festive atmosphere of the wedding is allowing them to do this without the repercussions of actually doing this and she is enjoying this...test run...of sorts.

Kate lifts her eyes to his briefly, smiles when she sees him grinning down at her, and he holds her closer still, arm strong around her lower back as he guides their joined hands in to rest on his chest. She feels a blush rising in her cheeks, dips her head shyly. But for once Castle doesn't push her, simply smiles to himself as he feels her lean into him slightly to rest her head on his shoulder. He tilts his head in response, temple coming to rest against hers as they sway softly to the music.

Across the room, Espo is dancing with Lanie and Castle catches Lanie's eye, sees her smile to herself and then speak under her breath to Javi. He twirls them to catch a view himself and Castle throws a small smile in his direction, runs his hand gently up and down the lower curve of Kate's spine.

She shivers unexpectedly, feels it ripple through her entire body, because she's at a wedding dancing with Castle and she knows she's not ready to dive in just yet but she never wants to leave his arms.

Ever.

Four songs later, however, she decides that maybe a bit of space between them would be nice because between his touch and his proximity and his warm breath in her ear, Kate's not sure how much longer she can contain herself.

So when the music ends she steps back slightly, lifts her eyes to find Castle gazing at her adoringly, completely smitten.

Kate smiles back, nods toward the bar. "Want to grab another round of drinks? My feet could use a break."

A convenient excuse, and entirely true, actually, but not the real reason for her suggestion.

Castle shrugs, tries to disguise the flash of sadness or disappointment or something that flashes through his eyes but Kate catches it just before he manages to squelch it.

"Don't worry, there's plenty more time to dance later," she murmurs, squeezes his shoulder reassuringly.

His eyes lighten at that, her promise for more, and he finally drops his arms, allows them to separate. But he's right on her heels as they make their way to the bar and he sits closer to her than before and she feels a pang of disappointment in herself that she isn't ready to just lean in and kiss him right now. Because she can tell that he's loving every minute of today and she is too but she feels like she's giving him a false sense of hope as to how recovered she still is not.

She's better. She's a lot better, and today is actually helping immensely because she's realized in the last few hours that opening up and letting Castle in isn't really all that difficult or terrifying. But she still has a long way to go before the PTSD is completely gone and before she truly feels comfortable saying that her mom's case and her own shooting aren't still haunting her.

Still, she feels the urge to give him some sort of reassurance, a promise that he's not waiting for nothing and that she is working on being better.

Before she can decide how best to convey this, Lanie swoops in, insists upon stealing a dance with Kate, and she really can't say no to her best friend. Besides, maybe Lanie's advice is exactly what she needs right now.

Kate sets her drink aside, rests a hand on Castle's forearm as she leans in to speak in his ear. His hand automatically settles on her hip, squeezing gently.

"Save me a dance for later, 'kay?" she says in a low voice and his hand reflexively tightens before loosening and dropping back to his side.

He swallows heavily as she leans back, offers him a bright smile, hoping that for now that is enough.

She catches him watching her as she and Lanie dance and chat, grins at him from across the room, and he smiles back, eyes twinkling.

When they dance together again later he holds her closer than before, his grip tender yet possessive as both arms come to rest on her lower back.

When he looks at her, she feels like the only woman in the room.

When he kisses her on the cheek before she slides out of the cab he insisted they share, she blushes furiously, completely helpless against it.

Kate squeezes his hand, leaves him with a dazzling smile and twinkling eyes and a promise of 'tomorrow,' and Castle spends the rest of the night feeling more hopeful than he has in a long time.

Because Kate said that maybe third time's the charm and he hasn't been able get the images out of his mind since the words left her mouth.

By the time he's sprawled in bed hours later, wide awake but with a giant smile on his face, his mind is firmly made up. The next time he attends a wedding, he'll be the one standing at the altar.

And this time, when he makes the promise of forever, he's confident that it will never be broken.

Thoughts?