Thanks ANNEM57 for being my Beta so people can focus on my story and not my faults :)

Beckett took a few deep breaths before knocking on the hospital room door. Just walking through the front door of the hospital had been hard. She had her breakdown here less than 24 hours earlier. Sometimes, knowing you'd had a breakdown was worse than the actual event. You felt like you were weak because you had succumbed. That was then, though, and this was now. Rick was going to be ok and so was she, maybe.

"Rick are you decent," she called out. Even though she had seen him naked too many times too count, she didn't want half of New York seeing Castle's butt. That privilege was reserved for herself and no-one else.

"Yes, but give me a minute and I can change that."

Beckett rolled her eyes and smiled. Same old fun loving Castle.

After waiting a moment, she opened the door and walked into Castle's private room.

"Hi," she greeted him.

"Hey."

He looked pale and tired, but he was alive and that was the main thing. She gave him a quick peck on the lips even though she wanted to do so much more. His daughter and mother were in the room however, and there was plenty of time for that later.

"Did you get me Angry Bird balloons?" he asked, surprised.

Beckett nodded as she headed over to the shelf that held numerous bunches of flowers.

"People thought I was heading to the children's ward."

"Here let me help you" Alexis offered.

Alexis took some of the balloons and handed a few to her grandmother. The three woman then set about tying the balloons to anything and everything. Beckett had gone a little overboard with the balloons.

"Kate. Why the bags? Are you going somewhere?"

Beckett turned to look at Castle. For a man who had been shot in the shoulder, he sure looked like a man who had been stabbed in the heart. Beckett looked at the bags she had wheeled in behind her.

"Rick, these are your bags."

Castle looked down at the bags. "Mine?"

Beckett nodded and wheeled the bags over to him.

"Whether you like it or not, you are going to be here for a little while. So I brought you some things. We have the unessential items like underwear and t shirts in this bag," she told him as she lifted the leather bag off of the smaller wheeled suitcase. She placed the bag on the chair beside the bed. Beckett then moved the hospital table from the end of Castle's bed to the middle.

"And this is your bag of essentials."

Beckett lifted the suitcase up and placed it on the table.

"My toy bag," he practically squealed.

Beckett levelled him with a look. "I thought it was your bag of essentials for travelling."

He sent her a boyish smile. "An occupied Castle is a happy Castle."

Beckett nodded. "An occupied Castle is a Castle that stays out of trouble."

This announcement caused the red heads behind her to chuckle.

Learning over she unzipped the bag. "I put your laptop in the top there." She patted the spot where his laptop was residing.

"He's supposed to be resting," Alexis told her. "He won't be able to use his arm for a few days."

Beckett turned to look at Alexis. "Speaking from experience, resting makes you more agitated. After a day or two in the hospital, I was going crazy. I needed something to keep my mind off my injury. And if we don't keep your father entertained..." Beckett left the sentence open and Alexis simply nodded and smiled at her.

"I would have brought you something if you had called me."

Beckett turned back to Castle and sighed. "I know you would have but I was too busy being stubborn. Anyway, I threw in a few extra things in there for you too." She lifted the lid back off of the suitcase and showed him the contents.

Castle gasped. "Junk food!" He reached forward and started rummaging through his goodies. "Just another reason why I love you."

Beckett scoffed. "Like you needed another,"

"Nommmrr," he managed to get out while trying to rip open a candy bar with his teeth and one hand

"Here let me Monkey man," she told him as she pulled the chocolate bar from his mouth.

Having his hand free, Castle then began to rummage through the bag.

"I put everything you need in there Castle," she told him pulling down the wrapping and then shoving the bar in his mouth. "If it's not in there, then you don't need it."

"Oh, he was looking for something this morning in his things, Kate. He couldn't find it and I told him to ask you."

Beckett looked at Castle expectantly. "What are you looking for Rick?"

Castle looked around the room nervously then back at her. "Oh it's nothing."

He then proceeded to gobble down his treat. Beckett bit her lip as she watched him become uneasy. Reaching into the v of her shirt, she pulled out her necklace before undoing the catch. She then placed the necklace on the table next to the suitcase.

"Are you looking for this?" she asked as she placed her finger over the ring and slid it off the chain. She then picked up her chain and refastened it around her neck.

Castle looked at the ring. And looked at it. And looked at.

"Rick, I know you wish you had the power to move things with your mind. It would be a cool power that's for sure. However right now I think the best thing for you to do is pick it up and put it on my finger yourself."

Castles head whipped around to look at her. "On your finger?"

Beckett nodded. "That's where it belongs, doesn't it?"

"Are you sure?"

Beckett took a deep breath and held out her hand.

Castle fumbled with the ring one-handed, and Beckett was worried he was going to drop it. He eventually shakily slid the ring on her finger before clasping her hand tight.

"What's going on?" Alexis asked them.

Beckett turned to look at Castle's daughter and realised the suitcase had blocked the whole exchange. Pulling her hand out of Castle's grasp, Beckett pushed the table away and gave both women a clear view

"Alexis, you're going to have a new evil stepmother," Castle announced.

Beckett's mouth dropped open and she reached over and tweaked Castle's ear.

"Castle," she used his last name only at work or when he was being naughty, and not in a good way.

He laughed even though he was wincing. "What?" he complained. "I was hoping you would be the bad guy when she gives me the pout. That and wield your gun at prospective boyfriends."

Beckett rolled her eyes but then turned to look at Alexis trying to gauge her reaction. The young woman seemed to be sizing the two of them up before a smile appeared on her face.

"Congratulations."

Alexis walked over to Kate and gave her a slight peck on the cheek before drawing her into a long tight hug. Beckett wrapped her arms around her future stepdaughter. It felt so right to be thinking of her like that and holding her.

"Thanks," Beckett told her before moving out of the hug so Alexis could hug her father. Beckett was immediately engulfed in another hug, this time from Martha.

"So you made your decision?" Martha asked her.

Beckett nodded but frowned. "Didn't you realise last night when I came home with you?"

Martha shook her head. "Your father and I thought you had decided to decline the job. Not that you were going to say yes to Richard."

Beckett smiled. "I realised the job that I wanted most was that of Wife. My work is still important to me but my family comes first."

"You don't have to give up the DC job, Kate."

Beckett turned to face Castle. "I'm not giving anything up, Rick. My dad made me realise that going to DC was just me running and hiding. I've never wanted to advance anymore in my career, I'm happy where I am. I now know that the only running I want to do, is down the aisle."

"Towards me, right?" he asked.

Beckett laughed. "Yes, towards you."

Beckett then grabbed his hand and squeezed it tight. She looked into his blue eyes that created so much heat inside of her.

"Ok Grams, I think we need to give these two love birds some time alone."

Alexis then edged her away from the googly eyed couple.

"Right," Martha told them. "Well, Alexis and I are going to go home and do some damage control."

"There are already rumours on the internet that Dad died," Alexis explained.

Beckett grimaced at the thought.

"We'll return later with champagne," Alexis told them.

Beckett nodded. "Actually, the guys are coming past later so we can celebrate with them too, if that's okay."

Alexis nodded at her in agreement. Beckett watched as the two redheads gathered up a few things before leaving. Once they were gone, she turned to Rick.

"So have you got a kiss for your fiancé?" she asked.

Castle wiggled his brows at her, "I've got more than a kiss for you."

Beckett tried not to smile him but she couldn't help it. He had been shot and yet his mind was on one thing. Getting her into bed! Kicking off her shoes, Beckett decided to oblige him and climbed into bed next to him. It probably wasn't the most appropriate thing to be doing. No doubt a nurse would yell at her but Beckett didn't care. She had made her decision about where she wanted to be and no one was going to stop her for getting that.

Beckett snuggled her head into Castle's good shoulder and wrapped her left arm around his waist. He moved his shoulder slightly as his arm came around and rested it over hers. His finger touched the ring on her left hand a few times.

"So, we're really doing this?" he asked.

Beckett smiled. "Yes, we really are."

"When?"

Beckett tilted her head to look up at him. "When, what?"

She wasn't sure if his pale colour was because of being shot or because he was worried.

"Yes. When are we doing this? Not that I want to rush you or anything. That's the last thing I want to do. I just want to know, are we doing the long engagement. We'll eventually pick a date after we discuss it. Or are we going to a quick, all paper no party thing?"

Beckett turned around and gently rested her chin on Castle's chest, giving her a perfect view of the hair in his nostrils.

"Well, what do you want?" she asked.

Castle laughed for a total of two seconds before he winced in pain.

"Ouch. Don't make me laugh, Kate."

Beckett frowned. "I'm serious, Rick. What do you want?"

"Really?"

"Yes, really."

"But it's your day," Castle told her.

Beckett sat up and looked at him. "Rick, it's our day."

"So I get a say on when we get married?"

Beckett shook her head bewildered. "You get a say on everything. The when. The where. You get a choice on the flowers, the colours, the guest list."

Castle looked at her confused. "Are you sure? Because that's not what happened before,"

Beckett ran a hand over his chest. "Well that was before, this is now."

A smile broke out on his face. "So I get a say in our big expensive wedding,"

Beckett froze. "Ahhh. Well. Umm"

Castle let out a small chuckle. It was the only way he could laugh without pain.

"It's okay Kate. My second wedding was this big expensive glitzy publicity stunt. I've been there, I've done that. I am interested to know what you want."

Beckett bit her lip. "I understand that you're a public figure. The fact that we haven't made it into the papers yet is astounding,"

Castle looked away and Beckett had a feeling that he had something to do with that. She had seen what he was capable of when people threatened his family.

"Anyway I realise there will be a certain amount of press over our wedding. Either before or after. I understand that. It's not so much the 'big' wedding I am opposed to. It's the expensive and glitzy."

Castle shrugged. "It's a wedding; it's going to be expensive."

Beckett nodded. "Okay. It's just I'd prefer the money be spent on making sure all the people we love and care about are there, and are having a good time. Not having tulips flown in from Holland or some $20,000 wedding dress from a Paris designer."

"Trust me that's cheap, but I understand. If you let me help plan, I promise not to go crazy with the spending. It's just I love you and I want you to have the best. If you want it low cost and low key, then I'll try my best. "

"No 100 white doves being released once we say I do."

Castle shook his head.

Beckett lay back down on Castle's shoulder.

"50 are plenty."

"Castle," she warned.

"Fine," he grumbled.

"There is no 'if' about it. I'm not planning this wedding on my own."

"So I get a say on everything, including my best man?"

Beckett giggled. "Don't worry Castle; I don't have a half brother."

"No, that's not what I meant. I didn't have one the first time and Gina picked the second time."

Beckett sighed. If she could put Castle's ex-wives in jail she would, for this and so many other things.

"A best man is a person who will support you, who has supported you. They are a friend, a confidant, someone you trust. It's your choice."

"I have a non-traditional choice for my bridal party then."

Beckett smiled. "Me too."

"Another reason why I love you,"

"You needed another?" Beckett asked.

"No, I'm just letting you know it's a long list."

Beckett smiled; she had a long list too. "I'd like to start planning the wedding as soon as you're up to it. I only want to be engaged for as long as it takes to plan a wedding. I understand these things do take time though. I don't need the exact type of flowers or venue to make my day perfect. I just need you."

"Let's start today. I'm up to it."

Beckett carefully leaned forward and reached for Castle's bag of toys. She pulled out a pen and paper. "Ok let's talk about the wedding party,"

Hey all. Hope you liked this chapter and this story. One more chapter to go and then its on to another watershed story. Man i just cant help myself can I?