Thanks again for all the reviews/favourites/follows. I hope this chapter lives up to expectations.

Disclaimer: I don't own Castle or the characters.

Beckett put up no fight as Castle led her onto the dance floor, having been excited about the prospect of getting to dance with him since she'd first asked him to the wedding. It was a way to be close to him while still maintaining that they are friends but Beckett knows she doesn't want to be just friends anymore and dancing with him could be the way to finally take that next step with him.

Beckett was surprised when she registered what music was playing, expecting Castle to have chosen a slow song for their dance together but this song was way too upbeat to slow dance as Beckett expected that they would. She found herself disappointed that they wouldn't yet get the slow dance she'd been hoping for.

The disappointment vanished once they started dancing, Castle causing her to laugh with the ridiculousness of some of the moves he was doing. She could tell he could dance, that he had rhythm, but you wouldn't know by looking at him now.

"You're ridiculous," Beckett laughed, voice just loud enough to be heard over the music as she danced in front of him, worried he was going to hit someone with the way his arms were swinging. Was he doing the sprinkler?

Castle grinned back at her in response, happy to make a fool of himself if she laughed and looked at him like she was now.

Castle reached out and took her hand and Beckett thought that this might be it, that he was going to just pull her to him and then he was going to kiss her. But she was surprised again, just like his dancing surprised her, when he spun her around instead.

The surprise at being spun as he righted her must have shown on her face because now Castle was laughing at her and it wasn't long before she was joining him again as they continued dancing.

Taking that final step into a relationship with Castle no longer seemed scary as she danced with him, probably both making fools of themselves, but she couldn't bring herself to care when they were having so much fun. This was Castle, her best friend, her partner, and starting a relationship with him now would only make those bonds stronger.

They'd danced their way through a few songs before a slow song started and Castle was disappointed, he'd been enjoying dancing with Beckett but knew it was over now that the music had changed. Castle gave Beckett a half smile and turned to leave the dance floor but Beckett caught his hand, stopping him from going any further and he looked down at her hand in confusion.

Beckett stepped closer to him, using the hand she was holding to keep him in place before she spoke, "that was your dance, now it's my turn to have my dance with you."

Castle's breath caught as she stepped closer, winding her arms around his neck as his fell to wrap around her waist so that they were almost completely pressed up against each other.

She smiled, that shy smile he loved so much, and all the disappointment he'd felt before at that change in music had vanished as her body moved against his and they swayed slowly back and forth.

They danced in silence for half a song, both just enjoying being this close to each other, their cheeks pressed together as they danced, before Beckett spoke.

"Are you going to tell me what that dancing before was about?" Beckett asked, smiling as she spoke which she was sure he could feel as they were so close.

"Hey!" Castle said, sounding affronted as he pulled back to give her a look, like she'd just offended him and his entire family. She laughed and he moved closer to her again, faces resting pressed together as he spoke again, voice low in her ear, telling her the real reason he'd been dancing ridiculously, "I liked seeing you laugh like that, I don't get to often."

Her smiled widened and she knew she was blushing but she didn't care, Castle had made an idiot of himself to make her laugh.

She wasn't entirely sure how to respond to that and she had to clear the clog of emotion from her throat before she could reply, "well, thanks, dancing with you was a lot of fun."

"I just hope no one videoed it," Castle laughed in her ear, "the boys would have a good laugh if they ever saw us dancing like that."

The wedding had been full of people that were separate from her work life and she didn't see them often so them thinking that she was dating Castle meant nothing but the mention of the boys made her realise that life was going on outside of the bubble of the wedding. But surprisingly, the panic that usually followed the thought of them really dating in the real world, surrounded by their friends and family, didn't follow.

"If you ever mention that you got me to dance with you like that to anyone, I'm sure Lanie will help me hide the body," Beckett replied but the threat was lost due to the soft way she spoke and the way she was swaying to the music with him.

"What about the stories that Ben told me, can I tell those?"

He actually feared for his life this time with the look she was now giving him, "I'm kidding!"

They danced again in silence for a bit, one slow song flowing into the next and Castle realised he may not have much time left to dance with her like this because as soon as a fast song began, it would be over.

Castle pulled back again to talk to her, but not far, and her hands were still around his neck so their faces ended up only a few inches apart, "thanks for inviting me today, I'm having a really good time."

The smile she gave him was brilliant, slightly shy, but beaming as she looked at him, "thanks for coming with me, I know I wouldn't be having nearly as good a time if you weren't here."

It was Castle's turn to grin at her, glad that it's not one sided and she's enjoying this just as much as he is. But then he realises they've been staring at each other for too long and he flashes back to not long ago when they were in the same position. If he were to kiss her now, would she realise that he was no longer pretending and would mean every press of his lips against hers?

He didn't have time to think about that though as Beckett took things into her own hands. This was the opportunity that she'd been waiting for, one she wasn't going to let pass her by again. Beckett leant in, eyes flicking down to his lips as she did then back up to his eyes, wanting to make sure that he was okay with what she was about to do.

Castle's eyes widened as he realised what she was doing as she glanced back down at his lips. There was no way that they were still just pretending and they both knew that as Castle leant down, their foreheads meeting. They stayed like that for a few seconds, just breathing in each other's space.

Then she finally closed the gap between them and kissed him.

Thoughts?