X~~~~X

May 2003 - Kruger National Park, South Africa

Sambulo signalled them to be quiet as he suddenly stopped in his tracks and Alexis' small hand grabbed Kate's a bit tighter, her blue eyes shining brighter in the African sun than Kate had ever seen before as the girl looked up asking in silence the question she had been asking all week.

Kate grinned back down at the redhead, capturing her bottom lip between her teeth as she shared Alexis' silent excitement - after all Sambulo had promised them elephants today.

Castle came stumbling up behind them since he as usual had fallen behind, almost losing his footing as he tried to figure out why they had stopped and hissing when he twisted his ankle slightly while trying to balance Jamie on his hip.

Kate, Alexis and Sambulo shot him similar disapproving looks at the noise he was creating but Castle just shrugged and then shot a look at his youngest who was chuckling at him.

"Daddy trouble," she whispered and placed her small finger over his lips to keep him from upsetting the others even more, especially Sambulo. The man Castle had hired as their private guide had conquered the little girl's heart by storm. Not only because he was the one who had showed her real life lions for the first time in her life just two days ago, but because he was funny and he knew stories, lots of stories. Very much like her own father Sambulo knew hundreds, most of them about the animals living in the Kruger National Park and Jamie could listen to him for hours as he took them into a wonderful and mysterious new world.

In her eyes, Sambulo knew everything and if he said to be quiet, you'd better be quiet, even her dad.

"You too, Baby Bird?" Castle mouthed in mocked shock at the look his daughter gave him, before he sobered and stepped closer to the others.

"We have to be very quiet," Sambulo told them, his eyes lingering on Castle a few seconds longer than on the others.

Okay, maybe it hadn't been the first time he hadn't kept his mouth shut when he was told to and maybe that had been the reason for the herd of giraffes they had been watching to flee. Maybe.

"We don't want to alarm them to our presence," Sambulo went on after he was certain Castle would follow his orders this time.

Kate and Alexis nodded solemnly, a look on their faces Castle had only seen on nerds back in boarding school, the ones who always wanted to please the teacher. Needless to say he hadn't been one of them. Kate and his daughter though – he shook his head, a smile on his lips – sometimes it was hard to believe that Kate wasn't Alexis' biological mother.

Sambulo slowly moved forward, the rest of the group following him as he led them out of the bushes and onto a small hill. Again he told them to be very quiet before they crouched forward to the rim of the hill. And then they saw them, elephants, at least fifteen of them as they gathered around a waterhole.

Alexis beamed at Sambulo and then at Kate who looked equally mesmerized at the sight in front of them and even Castle was stunned into silence.

"They come here to drink and to rest," Sambulo whispered, "you see the two little ones?"

Alexis and Kate nodded in union, hanging onto his every word.

"Those are Tala and Jay. They are about three and five months old," he told them. "The younger one's mother was killed by poachers a months ago," he went on, the amazement in his listeners' eyes suddenly dimmed. "We caught the guys, but we were too late to save her."

"How did it survive without its mother," Alexis asked quietly, swallowing down her tears.

"You see the big one over there," Sambulo pointed at a cow standing close by the two baby elephants, "that's Massaba. She's the mother of Jay and she took care of Nala after her mother died. She became her new mom."

"So she will be okay?" Alexis asked, crouching closer to Sambulo.

"Yes," he smiled, "she's going to be just fine."

"A new mom," Alexis whispered and then looked over at Kate, who reached out running her hand through Alexis' hair, knowing exactly what the girl was feeling.

Kate caught Castle looking at her over Sambulo's and Alexis' backs, his eyes sparkling and she blew him a kiss, which he captured with his hand and plastered it all over his face, causing Jamie to chuckle.

"Daddy silly," she whispered and then pressed her lips together not to laugh any louder, knowing how much her sister and her mom loved elephants and not wanting to scare them away.

The sun was slowly setting over the Tinga Game Reserve located right at the banks of the Sabie River in the south-east corner of the Kruger National Park, the red-golden rays bathing the land around them in that magical light Kate had fallen for on their first night here.

They had checked into the gorgeous private lodge a week ago, an oasis that offered a sense of peace Kate had never experienced before. Far away from the rumble of civilisation a lot of things suddenly seemed unimportant when faced with the beauty of nature. Just as Kate was right now, sitting alone in the Jacuzzi on the deck that overlooked the river beneath and its bank that often had been the meeting place for wild animals living near the lodge over the past days. She was waiting for Castle to join her so they could enjoy the peacefulness together and he had promised her to hurry twenty minutes ago when he'd been struck by inspiration and wanted to write it down as long as it was still fresh on his mind. Obviously he needed longer which gave Kate the opportunity to let her mind wander and think about the past five months and everything that had happened.

She had made Detective in January and officially joined Homicide a month later and things were going great for her at the precinct. Ryan and Esposito were both eyeing detective positions that would open up within the year at the 12th in Robbery and Narcotics and Kate hoped they would be able to join her in Homicide one day, knowing they would make a great team.

She had gotten closer to her dad over the past months and they were slowly getting back to where they had once been, before her mother had died and everything had changed. Her dad worked hard to prove himself to her and the rest of the family and she had even joined him for a couple of therapy sessions, surprised that while pouring one's heart out in front of a stranger was exhausting and terrifying, it had also helped a lot, had helped her to understand what had happened to her father after her mother died and why he hadn't been able to stop his disastrous downward spiral, even if it was destroying his relationship with his daughter. She definitely saw things clearer now and seeing her dad so open and honest helped to restore her faith in him, bit by bit.

He was a great help with Jamie and Alexis, never missing an opportunity to spend time with them, always stepping in when she or Castle couldn't make it home in time or just wanted to have a romantic dinner on their own. And she would never forget how her dad had opened his heart for Alexis just as much as for Jamie. He made no difference between the two girls, they both had been calling him Grandpa, ever since Jim had told Alexis he would be honored if she wanted to be his granddaughter as well. Kate had no idea if he knew that Alexis was struggling with her place between the three of them, knowing that Jim was technically only Jamie's grandfather, but when he told the girl that family was more than sharing the same blood, that there was a family you were born with and one you chose, Alexis had thrown her arms around his neck and hadn't let go for a long time. He had been Grandpa Jim ever since.

Kate smiled at the memory and then looked around, wondering again what was taking Castle so long. After all she had a surprise for him. At least she hoped he would be surprised by the outfit she had chosen.

She closed her eyes, listening to the sounds of the savanna around her when she finally heard his bare feet patting toward her over the wooden deck.

"What took you so long?", she asked, without opening her eyes.

"Mother called," he sighed behind her and Kate turned to look at him, chuckling at the petulant expression on his face.

"She didn't stop talking," he groaned, his hands still suspiciously hidden behind his back.

"What are you hiding?", Kate frowned, neglecting the topic of his mother and focussing on more urgent matters - her curiosity.

"Nothing," he shrugged, mischief dancing in his eyes that made him look like a school boy and so adorable.

"Uh-hu," she nodded and then stood up, knowing he would tell her everything once he saw that she was not wearing a …

"You forgot your suit," he gulped, his eyes travelling up and down her glorious naked body before they landed back on hers, like the eyes of a four-year-old who got his Christmas gifts a day early.

"What's behind your back?", Kate asked again, her tone seductive and just as she had predicted he caved immediately.

"Champagne," he stuttered, "I brought champagne."

"And are you and the champagne planning on joining me in here any time soon or do I have to entertain myself?", she batted her lashes at him, enjoying the bop of his Adam's apple.

"Coming," he growled, placing the champagne and the two flutes he brought next to the rim and stepping out of his shorts to level her state of undress.

"Not yet, I hope," she murmured at his words and scooted a bit forward so he could slide down into the water behind her.

He pulled her close immediately, his fingers dancing over her skin under the water as she snuggled up against his chest with a content sigh.

"It's so beautiful out here," she said quietly after a moment of silence. "Thank you for taking us."

"It is and you're welcome," he smiled, kissing the top of her head as his hand trailed lower, causing her to gasp.

"Castle," Kate turned her head, her hand reaching up to grab his neck as she pulled him down to her lips, his mouth opening to allow her access and they got lost in their kiss, tasting and nibbling until a growl pulled them apart.

"What was that?", Castle asked, feeling Kate slip away from him as she moved across the Jacuzzi to look down at the river bank.

"Castle, look," she whispered, waving him over and it only took him a second before his chest was plastered to her back again as they watched in amazement what was playing out before them.

On one side of the river a pride of lions was making their way down to the water, while on the other three elephants were doing the same. The wild creatures eyed each other carefully, before they all resumed what they had come for, peacefully drinking from the river as if a truce had been declared in this magical place.

"Isn't it amazing?" Kate whispered, tilting her head to look at Castle who was equally mesmerized by the sight in front of him.

"Yeah," he agreed, placing a kiss on her naked shoulder and feeling her lean back against him.

"Uhh," she chuckled, "You're getting really excited about it, huh?" She pressed harder against him, making him groan and oh so aware that nothing was separating them, not a stitch.

"I can assure you my excitement has nothing to do with those wild creatures down there but with the one right here in my arms," he muttered into her neck, his right arm pulling her backward with him as his other hand started to explore her more intimately.

"Castle," she moaned, giving herself over into his expert hands. "What about the champagne?"

"Forget the champagne," he said, "I wanted to do this to you - in here - ever since we arrived," he confessed, his lips nibbling on her pulse point, making her squirm under his touch.

"What do you want to do to me?", Kate growled, slapping his hand away when his teasing became too much and then turning in his arms to face him, her voice dropping an octave when she asked him again, "What exactly do y -," the rest of her words were lost to the moan that escaped her lips when he united them.

Their love making was slow and sensual as they took their time with each other before they fell over the edge together, moaning each other's names as they came back down together.

She was sitting in his lap, her toned legs slung around his waist, while they drifted in the water, heavenly spent and content, in no hurry to get out of the water any time soon. They had nowhere to be but right here, in this moment. The champagne had been emptied and what was left was the delightful buzz it caused in their veins.

"Wow," she sighed again, watching the stars dance above, while the dark night of the savanna surrounded them. "Isn't it amazing how many stars you can see out here? It's like a whole new universe."

"Yeah," he agreed. Apparently he had lost his ability to form complete sentences tonight and when she looked at him she found him staring at her, an intensity in his blue eyes she had never seen before.

"What?", she asked, tilting her head as she tried to read him.

"Kate," he whispered and she knew whatever came next would be serious. "Are you happy?"

Her hands reached up to cup his face, knowing he had her safely tugged against him as her thumbs caressed the soft skin under his eyes while she looked into his eyes.

His lids fluttered shut and then he felt her lips placing butterfly kisses against them, making him sigh with all the love he felt for her and for the way she made him feel loved as well.

She waited until he opened his eyes again before she answered, "Rick, I -," she blinked against the sudden tears that threatened to fall, "I'm very happy. You make me happy."

He leant forward to kiss her, but she stopped him, she had more to say, "You know, the night we met?"

He nodded, how could he ever forget?

"I wanted to forget," she went on, "I wanted to get lost in a night of meaningless sex with a stranger so I wouldn't have to think about how miserable I was, how empty I felt inside." She huffed, angrily wiping at the tears that were running down her cheeks without her permission and totally messing with the statement she wanted to make.

"Kate," he tried to pull her close, not understanding why she seemed to be so upset all of a sudden. This was certainly not how he had imagined the night to end.

"No," she shook her head and then chuckled on a sob, "I'm making a mess of this, when all I want to say is that I never was able to forget you, that this night to forget turned into a night I will treasure for the rest of my life, because it was the beginning of us. Castle I -," this time he didn't let her stop him, his lips crushing down on hers as he span her around and pressed her against the rim of the pool.

"Kate," he worshipped her name, felt her hands grabbing him desperately and he knew it was time.

Pulling back so he could look at her, he tried to tame his wild heart that was beating faster than it had ever before.

"It has always been you," he finally got out, his hand shaking as he reached behind her, grabbing for the ice bucket he had brought along with him earlier, "ever since that night it has always been you."

"Castle," she breathed.

"Marry me, Kate."

Everything stopped, there was just the two of them, nothing else mattered in this moment as she looked down and found the most beautiful diamond ring she had ever seen between his fingers. Her heart seemingly bursting out of her chest as she lifted her eyes back to his, finding him waiting, hoping as they were bare and naked to each other, stripped physically and emotionally and she had never felt more secure, more safe than in this moment.

"Yes," she nodded, the most beautiful smile spreading out over her face, "Yes, yes, yes."

"Yes?" Castle laughed, needing to hear her answer one more time, because she liked to take it slow and it had not even been a year since they got together and everything was moving so fast between them and at the same time not fast enough and he just knew what he wanted, but he needed to hear her say it again.

"Yes," she sighed, pulling him out of his train of thoughts. "I will marry you."

He kissed her, hard, sloppy and uncoordinated and it couldn't be more perfect. They were both laughing when they pulled apart and Castle reached for her hand, sliding the ring onto her finger and then pressing his lips against it before sliding his fingers between hers.

"We're getting married," he said in wonder, studying their joined hands, the ring sparkling in the moonlight and he had never been happier in his life. He had two wonderful daughters and this amazing woman on his side for the rest of his life and he couldn't wait to shout from the rooftops that she had said yes, that she'd chosen him as well.

"I love you, Castle," her voice brought him back to the presence, finding her loving eyes looking at him.

"I love you," he smiled back, placing another kiss against her lips.

She moved closer, nibbling at his skin before she whispered, "Take your fiancé to bed."

Later that night, they were lying in bed, in their spacious bedroom, their limbs a tangled mess after their passionate love making and the hushed words of love they had exchanged. But as they were bathing in the afterglow of the amazing day they had, Kate grew quiet, too quiet for his liking and that got him worried.

"Hey, what's wrong?" He asked, propping himself up against the headboard and pulling her with him when he couldn't take her silent brooding anymore.

"Nothing," she deflected, not wanting to spoil the mood further than she might already have, but Castle was having none of it.

"Kate," he prodded and her sigh told him she was giving in.

"It's just," she stopped, wetting her lips as she pushed up to look at him, "what can I ever give you in return?"

He frowned, "In return for what?"

"For all this?", she waved her arm around as if it would make things any clearer to him.

"I don't understand," he said confused. "If this is about money Kate," he sighed, "I thought we'd been through that."

"It's not," she shook her head vehemently.

"Then what is it? You gotta help me out here," he asked, getting agitated. He didn't want to fight, not tonight.

"How can I ever give you anything you don't already have?", she said finally, giving him a troubled look as if this was the greatest disaster ever.

He couldn't help it, he had to laugh, "Kate, I have no idea where this is coming from, but you don't have to give me anything. I have everything I need and since you said yes I have everything I want as well."

"Great," she huffed, hiding from him and he realised that for whatever reason this was important to her.

"Kate," he tugged her chin up to make her look at him, "You really don't have to worry about this -," she was about to protest, "but," he stopped her, "there's one thing you could give me that I could never get myself, not even for all I'm worth."

"What?", she asked, looking at him expectantly.

"You have to promise me not to freak out," he said and watched her furrow her brows.

"It's something kinky, isn't it?", she questioned as she tried not to let him see her smile as he had already managed to make her feel better, to lighten the mood.

"Ah no," he shakes his head, "though keep that thought in mind. I might come back to that later."

She groaned, slapping him playfully on the chest while pressing her mouth against him to stifle her laugh.

"No seriously," he got them back on track and Kate lifted her head to look at him again, "I don't mean now, or anytime soon," he tried to reassure her before she even knew what he was talking about.

"Castle," she prodded, getting uncomfortable with his stalling.

"A son," he finally got out, "some day in the future. I'd like to have a son."

Her heart clenched tightly in her chest, because that's what he did to her every time he told her something so wonderful. She feared her heart would stop because of this amazing man. A son, he wanted a son with her.

"Castle," she breathed, struggling up to get closer to him and of course he took it the wrong way, thinking it was too much, too soon.

"Kate, forget it. I didn't mean to pressure you," he turned away from her, trying to hide his shame for wanting something she didn't want to give him.

"No," she shook her head, "there's no way I'm forgetting about this," she told him eagerly. "No way."

Tentatively he turned his head back to her, meeting her eyes that were sparkling at him and suddenly there was hope again, because that look in her eyes was infectious and it told him so much.

"You know I can't promise you this kind of thing," she stopped him when he tried to interrupt her, "after all you are the one in charge of the gender."

He chuckled at that, pulling her closer when he realized she wasn't telling him off, just lightening the mood like he had done for her.

"But I can promise you that we'll try – for a son," she smiled at him, "some day in the future."

"Yeah," he beamed back at her, he hadn't known that this day could get any better. "Some day."

"And until then," she purred into his ear, nibbling at it before she started to trail her lips down his neck, his chest – lower and lower, "we'll keep practicing."

"Yeah," he groaned as she reached his navel and kept descending, "we're amazing at that."

"That we are," she confirmed against his soft skin. "Amazing."

The End

X~~~~X

AN:

Okay, this is it. Or this is where I wanted the story to end when I started it, but now I'm not sure I'm really done. BUT for now I will take a break, enjoy the holidays and maybe I'll come back to this next year. I have some more ideas and I'll keep it In-Progess for now. We'll see.

For now I'd like to thank all of you for the AMAZING feedback and support on this story. When I started it I'd never thought it would be such a success. I'm honored you've been enjoying it all this time. Thank you!

And a special thanks to Marjo who had to endure all my breakdowns when I got stuck. Merci.

Happy holidays and maybe until next year.

Bree