It's her first Sunday off in two months. She had been picking up extra shifts while another detective was out on parental leave and that included every Sunday. She's loved Sundays since she was a little girl. It was always the one day both of her parents were home. Sundays were all about spending time with your family and the people you love.
And that's exactly what she wanted to do this Sunday.
Her and Rick had only been dating for a month. He had never experienced the "Sunday Side" of Kate. She could see the shock in his eyes when she asked him if he could spend the day with her and she wonders if he caught the excitement in hers whenever he said yes. She told him to come over Saturday night and to let Martha and Alexis know he wouldn't be back until Monday morning. She wanted all of Sunday with him not just the parts they'd be awake for.
Kate was excited and if she was being honest, nervous. She never let anyone in on her traditions, not even Will. Her Sunday traditions would only be shared with the man she would marry and although they had only been dating for a month, she knew that man would be Rick.
She woke up that Sunday with a heavy weight around her waist. She sighed with content and snuggled in closer to Castle, who had managed to wrap her in a tight embrace at some point while sleeping. She listened to his breathing and the light thump of his heart beating through his chest. This was the man she was going to marry. The man she loved and she was going to tell him that today.
She finally woke him from his deep sleep thirty minutes later and laughed when he begged for five more minutes. She turned around so she could face him and placed soft kisses on his lips. "Wake up, babe. It's Sunday and we have things to do." Kate gave him one last kiss before rolling out of bed so she could get dressed. She was buttoning her pants when she heard Rick yell from her bedroom. "Did you just call me babe?" Kate giggled to herself as butterflies invaded her stomach. This was the love her mother talked about. The love you only heard of in fairytales.
She took him to the diner she went to every Sunday as a kid. The owner and his wife had quickly become family filling a grandparent role in her life. Rick looked at her with curiosity in his eyes as the diner owner greeted her with a hug and a kiss to the cheek. "Katie, Mia is going to be jealous when I tell her I got to see you today." The man released Kate from his embrace as he noticed Rick standing off to the side. "And who is this here, Katie?" She watched as Castle was stared down by the older man and she let a smile break across her entire face. "Charlie, I'd like you to meet Rick Castle." Kate grinned as Rick extended his hand. Her face flushed but she let the words fall from her mouth anyways. "He's my boyfriend and I wanted you to meet him." Charlie mimics Rick's gesture, the two men exchanging a quick "it's nice to meet you".
Rick had never seen her this carefree. He couldn't help but stare at her, his attention drawn to the light in her eyes as she told him stories of her diner experiences as a kid over their breakfast. She sat there talking long after their plates had cleared, only stopping the conversation when she needed to get up to use the restroom. Rick glanced down at his phone, sending Alexis a quick text to check in on her. When someone slid back into the booth, he looked up expecting to see Kate. Instead he was face to face with the man Kate had told him was like a grandfather to her. "I don't have time to grill you right now, but just know that Katie has never brought a boyfriend here. She really cares about you and if you break her heart, I'll make sure your pretty book jacket face never looks the same again." Rick slightly paled and he gulped down a breath when the man slid back out of the booth. "I love her. More than I've loved anyone." He told the man who simply nodded his head and made his way back to the kitchen.
Kate arrived back to their table, taking Rick's hand and pulling him out of the booth. Come on, Castle. We have things to do.
"The museum?" Castle questioned, wondering why Kate would take him to the museum on a Sunday. She smiled at him, lacing her fingers in between his. "My dad, my mom, and I would always come here on Sundays after having breakfast at the diner. Mom and I would spend hours looking at all of the paintings, creating our own stories about how and why they were made. I'm not even sure where my dad would be half of the time. I haven't been back here since my mom died." Kate trailed off hoping Castle understood the significance without her having to say it. "Thank you for sharing this with me." Castle kissed her hand and led her into the museum.
By the time they arrived back to her apartment, it was already 3PM. She quickly washed her hands and opened a bottle of red, pouring her and Rick a glass. He thanked her with a quick kiss. "So, what's next on our Sunday agenda?" He questioned. "You. Me. The couch." She laughed at Rick's facial expression. "Movie night, Castle. Sundays are for movie nights complete with pizza, popcorn, and candy. You can pick the first movie." Kate led him to her DVD collection before going to change into a pair of sweatpants and her faded NYPD shirt. By the time she had changed he had already made himself comfortable on the couch, the movie playing the opening credits. She curled up next to his side and let him play with her hair. How did she guess he would pick Jurassic Park?
By the time they had gotten through their third movie Rick had already started to doze off. She kissed him gently, causing his eyes to open. "Come on, Rick. Let's go to bed." She led him to her bedroom and slipped under the sheets while she waited for him to change into a white tshirt and his boxers and let him get into bed next to her, pulling her close, before she spoke again. "Sundays are for family and for the people you love. It was the one day both of my parents were home and wouldn't be called in. Most of my favorite memories were made on Sundays." She flipped around I'm his arms so she could meet his eyes. "I've never shared a Sunday with someone I was in a relationship with. You're the only person besides my parents who know how important these traditions are." She cleared her throat her nerves setting in once again. "I love you, Rick and I want to spend every Sunday for the rest of my life with you."