GIF prompt: can be found on [ tumblr dot com [slash] photografya [slash] 714621068390858752 ] for anyone who is interested. (it's not vital to the storyline)

Set 8x08 episode ending

Mr & Mrs Castle

As soon as their naked punishing came to an end he slipped from between the sheets and made his way to the ensuite without muttering a single word to her. He shut the door behind him, an irrefutable sign that he did not want her to follow.

That was the true punishment: the silence, the cold distance that had lingered between them in spite of the literal closeness of their bodies, the hurt that she knew wouldn't fade overnight.

He loved her - undoubtedly, sometimes even blindly - but that didn't mean that he could ignore all the pain she had caused him, no matter how much he may want to. This would be a long and slow journey.

But they would be okay, eventually.

"You like being broken..."

His words had echoed in her mind since their argument earlier in the day. She understood why he would think that: time after time she dove down this rabbit hole. She embraced it like an old friend.

But he couldn't be more wrong.

She hated that she was broken, and that her brokenness had polluted his blue skies and turned them the same shade of melancholy grey she had learned to live with.

The ensuite door opened and he plodded around the room, readying himself for bed. She watched silently, her guilt eating away at her.

Tears distorted her view of him as they pooled and - as he crawled into bed and instantly turned away from her - she had to squeeze her eyes shut to keep them from flowing free. A single, disobedient drop rolled down her face, disappearing into her hair before she had a chance to wipe it away.

She let out a slow, shaky breath as quietly as she could and turned toward him, tucking her knees into the space behind his.

Idly, she ran her fingers through his hair and gently grazed down the back of his neck, tracing the contours of his shoulders.

"I promise you," she whispered, unsure if he was even listening. "I will never do anything like this ever again."

She leant forward and pressed her lips to the skin between his shoulder blades. The heat of his body was inviting and she would linger in his warmth for as long as he would allow.

"I'm so sorry," she pleaded as her lips caressed his bare skin and another tear fell free.

He reached behind him and wrapped his hand around her knee, then dragged her legs closer to his own. Following his lead, she shuffled her body until it was flush against his back.

"I know," he assured her as he laced his fingers through hers and brought her hand to his face. He kissed her hand and then placed it over his heart. "We're going to be okay, Kate."

May prompt: dancing.

Set: 1998ish.

A quick little rambling from Jim's POV.

It had been a long, tiring day at the firm and he honestly couldn't wait to get home and spend a quiet night in with his wife.

The last thing he expected when he unlocked the door to their brownstone was to hear poppy dance music blaring from the living room. As he entered their home he closed his eyes, sighed, and shut the door behind him.

"Johanna," he called down the hall. "I'm home."

"In the living room." Johanna's cheery voice carried over the tune that filled the air. "Come join us!"

"Us?" he uttered to himself as he placed his briefcase by the entryway console and tossed his keys into the decorative bowl.

As he walked toward the source of the excitement that radiated through the home, the sound of laughter echoing down the hall diffused any lingering frustrations from work. He rounded the corner, instantly uplifted by the sight before him: his wife and their daughter laughing and dancing to MTV's weekly video countdown.

His own laughter mingled with theirs as he watched them twist and move to the music.

"Hey, Dad," his daughter greeted as the song came to an end.

"Hi, Katie." He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a gentle squeeze. "To what do we owe the pleasure of your company tonight?" he asked when she pulled away.

The teen shrugged; an attempt to play it cool, but there was no hiding the emotion in her voice when she spoke. "I missed you."

Since moving away for college, she had kept herself busy trying to balance her study, work and a social life. Between that and her parents' work schedule, visits had unfortunately been few and far between.

"I should have called first," she began to apologise.

"Are you kidding? And ruin the surprise?" He wrapped his arms around her again.

This time he had no intention to let go too soon.

"We've missed you too," he whispered as she melted into his embrace.