Golden Hour
The sun was low on the horizon when Kate Beckett dipped her bare feet into the warm sand. Covering her eyes against the sunlight with her palm, she let out a happy sigh. She really loved it here, the ocean, and all the beautiful scenery. After spending the last week here on this small island that had a strict law against fossil fuel vehicles, she was getting used to the quietness too and of course the fresh air was an added bonus.
And frankly, after the year they had just had, this island was the perfect getaway for her and her husband.
Speaking of her husband, he was supposed to be here somewhere...
She looked around, trying to find her husband and fortunately, it didn't take long to find him. Just like she had predicted, she found him sitting on their spot, their wooden swing.
It was funny to claim it 'theirs', since they only found it merely days ago, but it was what it felt like. It quickly became their favorite spot on the island, some sort of a homage to the one in New York. Their wooden swing was sitting on the beach in Gili Trawangan, they found it one morning as they explored the island by bicycles. Well, it wasn't so much of a swing set compared to what they had in New York. It was much more modest, just a simple swing made of driftwood and twine tied up in a huge tree by the beach. But they had fallen in love with the spot the moment they laid their eyes on it.
It became a silent agreement amongst the two of them, and they've been coming back here every chance they could.
But today, today this spot would bring a whole different meaning for them if things went as she planned it to be.
Kate bit her lips nervously as she approached her husband.
She had purposely asked him to meet her here after they parted their way a few hours ago when she told him she would drop by the market to look for souvenirs. He had merely waved her off since he was deep in his work, writing the new adventure for Nikki and Rook. He was here now though, Kate breathed in relief, that meant he really did listen to her instruction after all.
"Hey, babe," she came behind him, encircling her arms around his body, kissing the top of his head.
He smiled, kissing her arms, "Hey, how's your day? Found something interesting?"
Oh, she did find something interesting alright, but later. She had more pressing things in her mind right now.
"Maybe," she grinned, wiggling her eyebrow playfully as she lost her grip around him and circled around so that she stood in the vee of his legs now.
He looked up, meeting her kiss halfway and stealing another one right on her jaw as his hand made his way toward her waist, making her giggle. His eyes lightened up as he heard her laughter and it made her heart soared. The was no other man who looked at her the way Richard Castle did.
Was it possible that she loved him more and more everyday?
She smiled, running his finger through his dark locks, "How's your writing? Did you finally finish the chapter?"
"Yes, finally!" He let out a groan, "It's like Gina doesn't understand the meaning of vacation. Now at least we can have our peaceful vacation without her hounding me around for a new chapter every morning."
He sighed heavily, and a bit dramatically too.
Her lips twitched.
He really was Martha Rodgers' son after all.
"Poor baby," Kate cooed, trying her best to hold her laughter as she patted his cheeks playfully.
He mocked a pout and for a moment there she could've sworn she could vividly picture a little boy with the same boyish features as Rick, pouting when he didn't get his way.
Her heart thumping loudly inside her chest, maybe they really should seriously talk about kids because she couldn't pretend to ignore it anymore.
Her heart wanted what her heart wanted.
She wanted kids with him.
She wanted a little boy with Rick's cheeky smile or a little girl with his bright blue eyes.
She smiled softly at the thought and of course a man as inquisitive as he was, he noticed it. He was about to open his mouth to question her, but she beat him to it.
"I have something for you," She grinned a little proudly, pulling a bag of cloth from the pocket of her sundress, watching his eyes instantly lit up.
"For me?" he let out a happy gasp and she couldn't help but to shake her head.
This was why she wanted to do this for him and if this was his reaction to a gift, she couldn't wait to see his reaction when he finally figured out what exactly she just gave him.
"Well, open it," she said, biting her lower lips, when he was just sitting there with the present in his hand, looking a little bit awed.
He sloppily pulled the drawstring open, pulling the contents out of the bag and finally gasped when he found a silver ring featuring an intricate, one-of-a-kind pattern on it. The pattern itself was unique, he bet it was locally handcrafted and Rick knew jewelry having been surrounded by women his entire life, so he knew this was most likely custom-made.
And he was right because when he twisted it, there was a word written inside.
Always.
He met her eyes, searching for an explanation only to find her already kneeling in front of him, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.
"K-kate?" his eyes were so big, it would be so comical if she wasn't trying to be serious at the moment.
"Richard Edgar Alexander Rodgers Castle, will you marry me, again?"
His mouth opened and shut, completely speechless.
She bit her lips, suddenly nervous, "Rick?"
He finally snapped out of it and hastily joined her on the ground which made her laugh in the process. He took her waiting hand, his eyes crinkled with so much joy it was almost too much for her. And when he finally spoke, his voice wavered, but he had also never sounded so sure.
"Always."
And that was it, she burst into happy tears even as he pulled her in for a kiss.
He wiped her tears away with his thumb, grinning happily as he said, "We're getting married!"
She laughed, squeezing his hand as she helped him to stand.
"Well, technically it would be a vow renewal since we're already married."
His grin grew wider if it was even possible, "Even better."
"Yeah?"
"Of course, Kate. I know we planned to have a small reception, but we never really got to do it since you know..."
Her face grew a bit somber, "Yeah..."
The past year was chaotic to put it mildly.
They wanted to wait for the new year before they had the reception because only by then her vacation days would fill up again and they could finally take their real honeymoon after. But then the offer happened and once she decided to become a captain instead of pursuing a career in politics, their life became so busy that the reception sat on the backburner. By the time she finally became a captain, all hell broke loose.
She lied to protect him and they eventually found out that he lied to protect her too.
It cracked something in them, even after they brought LokSat to justice, the damage was already done.
In the last six months, they didn't just need to recover physically from their bullet wounds, but they also had their relationship and marriage to rebuild. It took them hours of couple therapy for them to finally get better, to understand and accept that at the end of the day, their love for each other was so strong that they'd willing to sacrifice their life to save another. It was a bitter pill to swallow, but eventually became something they learned to accept.
It was why when he suggested for them to travel the world after the doctors cleared them to fly, she didn't hesitate to agree. Aside from getting away from the media scrutiny over the LokSat scandal which brought the entire nation's attention right into their doorstep, they felt like they needed the time alone to further mend their relationship.
They were right after all.
Through this trip, they slowly healed.
It was like they were back to the place they were before LokSat happened, and an even better place if she dared to say. Their level of intimacy was unprecedented and she wasn't only talking about their physical intimacy. They had a lot of conversations during the trip, rebuilding their trust, getting to know each other on the level that they had never achieved with anyone else before.
But of course they weren't foolish.
This was only the beginning, they knew that.
The real work began when they came back to New York to resume their normal life again, but this was a damn good start.
And what better way to mark their new beginning other than to renew their love for each other?
Noticing the somber look on her face, he quickly came up with a question, "So, the Hamptons?"
She startled, a bit puzzled at his question, "Uh, what's with the Hamptons?"
"For the wedding," he said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Her features softened and slowly her lips curved into a grin, "Nope."
He furrowed his brows in confusion, "No?"
"No," she shook her head. "We'll be having the ceremony here."
"Here?" he asked slowly like he thought she was losing it. "Like next year?"
Well, they did plan to come back here next year, but that wasn't what she was trying to say.
She bit her lips, trying to contain her own excitement, "Like the day after tomorrow."
"Huh," he breathed out, clearly still thinking.
He then took her hands in his, trying to come up with a way not to hurt her feelings as he told her what he meant.
He took a deep breath, "Kate, you do know how much I want to marry you again? But what about Alexis? Mother? Your dad? Espo, Ryan, and Lanie? We'll never hear the end of it if they missed this."
"They're not going to miss it."
His brows furrowed again, about to protest, but then her lips twitched into a small smile.
He recognized that smile.
His face finally lit up, "Oh Kate, what did you do?"
"You know, fly them first class to Indonesia," she shrugged nonchalantly, like she didn't just pull a massive surprise for him.
"Kate..." he whispered as she managed to render him speechless for the second time today.
"They should land first thing in the morning and I've arranged a transportation to bring them to the island."
"Oh my God," he gaped at her and she grinned smugly.
"Who says romance is dead?" She winked at him, letting out a yelp of surprise when he launched himself onto her, kissing her senseless.
"Thank you," he whispered, his voice suspiciously shaky as he pulled away to look at her, stroking her cheeks gently. "I love you so much."
She sighed happily, leaning into his touch, "I love you, too."
...
Richard Castle prided himself as a romantic man, he was a helpless romantic and he was never shy to show people that side of him. After all, he was the guy who dedicated his book to the one he loved, best using his words to express his feelings for the whole world to see. He was no stranger to grand romantic gestures. He even bragged more than once that he was the king of over-the-top romantic gestures.
But boy, did his wife beat him to it this time.
He couldn't believe she pulled this off.
Not only did she manage to fly their entire family and close friends behind his back, but apparently she had been working with a local wedding planner to arrange the whole ceremony by the private beach of their resort. She had even brought her own wedding dress, albeit much simpler than the traditional, from New York.
How the hell did he miss it?
But again, this was Kate Beckett, the captain of the Twelfth Precinct.
If anyone was going to pull this off, it was her.
She was amazing, his wife, and he couldn't wait to redeclare his vows to her all over again.
The sun was about beginning to set lower over the horizon and the ceremony would begin around the time the sky turned into this beautiful color people often called the golden hour.
From where he was standing, he could see his family and friends begin to fill a small row of seats, appearing to engage in small conversation with one another as they waited for the ceremony to begin. He hadn't seen Kate yet, much to his dismay. Lanie had dragged her away early this morning for a spa and manicure day and they had reluctantly parted ways with a kiss before he drifted away back to a peaceful slumber. By lunch time, he missed her so badly, he tried to find their whereabouts, but Alexis managed to drag him away for lunch with his mother. Now though, standing here, he became more and more jittery by the second.
He needed to see her, now.
"Relax, dad," his daughter's voice startled him from his musing. "I just saw her and she's almost ready."
He enveloped the redhead into a hug, dropping a kiss to the top of her head, "Thanks, pumpkin. And not just for today, Kate told me you helped her arrange everything."
Alexis shrugged, downplaying it a bit as her cheeks turned a bit pink, "It was all Kate's idea, I just helped."
"Still," he dropped another kiss, this time to her cheeks. "She told me she couldn't have pulled this off without you."
"She's so good for you, dad. She loves you so much," Alexis smiled softly.
She was more than surprised when Kate first told her about her plan. Alexis never doubted Kate's love for her father, not even after Kate asked for some time off, because even then Alexis could see it in her eyes how much she still loved her dad. But Kate's plan to have a vow renewal and to fly their entire family and friends across the globe had startled her a bit. This was a huge gesture, bigger than the time Kate staged a fake murder for her dad's birthday. So when Kate asked to meet her in New York two weeks before the vacation, she immediately agreed to help.
No one, no other woman willingly put so much effort to show her dad how much she loved him.
No one, but Kate Beckett.
"I know, sweetheart," Rick agreed. "Aside from you, she's the best thing that ever happened to me."
Alexis smiled, pulling her dad into a tight hug, "I'm really glad you found each other."
"Me too," he murmured, offering his hand for her to take, "Now, shall we?"
Alexis grinned, her blue eyes filled with unshed tears as she took her dad's hand.
...
Kate Beckett breathed deeply, smoothing the fabric of her dress over her stomach, willing her heart to calm down.
Everything was perfect. Alexis just came by to tell her that everything's ready, so she had nothing to worry about, really.
"Don't worry, Kate. Everything is ready and dad can't wait to marry you all over again." the young redhead had said with an assuring smile. "I'm so happy for you," Alexis had then enveloped her into a tight hug. "Thank you for making my daddy so happy."
"Katie?"
Her father's voice broke Kate's reverie.
She turned around to find him standing by the threshold of their suite, a gentle smile playing on his lips.
"Ready, Katie?"
Her lips curved into a smile, nodding as she didn't trust her own voice at the moment.
Jim Beckett took his daughter's hand, circling his arm around her as they walked toward the beach.
"It's so beautiful, Katie," he smiled at her, a thoughtful look on his face. "Your mom would be so proud of you two, what you've achieved together."
Kate returned the sentiment, her heart suddenly heavy at the thought of her mom, knowing that she would not be here together with them.
"She's here," her father said, like he could read her mind. "She's here with us today and she wants you to know how happy we are for you and Rick."
Kate swallowed, feeling the tears burning in her eyes, "T-thanks, dad."
Jim smiled, squeezing his daughter's hand as they finally arrived.
Kate took a deep breath, slowly turning her eyes away from her dad and toward the man waiting by the end of the aisle.
By the time their eyes met, her whole world stopped.
...
"This is perfect," he whispered in her ears as they swayed into the music.
The sun had already set, the darkness took over, and torches and candles brightened the beach as the happy couple danced along the soft music played in the background.
Kate sighed, leaning her head into his chest, absorbing the moments.
"So glad you said, 'yes'," she murmured into his chest, dropping a kiss there. "-cause it'd be awkward pretty awkward to cancel everything at the last minute."
He laughed, dropping a kiss to her lips as she looked at him, "I'm always going to say, 'yes', Kate. I'll marry you over and over again if it's what you want."
She knew he really meant it.
"Well, let's just enjoy this for the time being," she smiled. "-besides, there are other things I'd like to do other than planning another ceremony."
His eyebrow peaked with interest, "Like what?"
She bit her lips, suddenly nervous to say what had been a constant longing in her heart. But damn, he was looking at her expectantly with those blue eyes of his and she couldn't push it down anymore.
"I want a baby," she breathed out.
And what was waiting for her as soon as she uttered those words was something she had never seen before. His face morphed into a mixture of love, awe, and no small amount of desire in it. She honestly never saw so much joy radiating from his eyes as he looked at her right now and they did just renew their vow, so that said a lot.
"Y-you..." he stuttered.
It wasn't a secret that she wanted to have children with him, but it was always in the future for them. They never really talk about it as a concrete plan. And honestly after what happened with LokSat, he was afraid to bring the subject on the table. He thought she wasn't ready or that she had changed her mind about it.
"Really?" he was still looking at her in awe, it broke her heart a little.
She sighed, bringing her thumb to stroke his cheeks, "Really, Rick. I don't want to wait anymore. I want to have kids with you, a boy with your boyish grin or a girl with your blue eyes."
"Oh, Kate," he was speechless and damn, was that tears in his eyes?
He sniffled, feeling his throat closed.
He was a bit overwhelmed.
Kate laughed, wiping his tears away.
"So?" She bit her lips expectantly. "What do you say? Wanna make Castle babies with me?"
His smile erupted into a full fledged grin, "Like in plural?"
She couldn't help but mimic his emotions, "Well? Maybe let's start with one and we'll see from there."
He stole a kiss to her lips, "Deal."
...
A/N
Hi, everyone! I finally found the courage to post my first Caskett fic, and also my first story in almost two years. My English is a bit rusty, so bare with me lol
I have to admit, when I first wrote this story, it was Castle who planned the entire proposal and ceremony. Can you even call it a proposal when they're already married? Oh well, anyway... I read a review on another story, someone wrote how such a shame it was that Kate didn't seem to love Rick the way he loved her. I have to disagree on that. I personally think that it wasn't a competition to begin with. I think she loved him just as much, she just sometimes didn't know how to show it. He wore his heart on his sleeve, while Kate spent her entire adult life guarding her heart with walls. But I think she honestly tried her best to show him how much she loved her even before she ever said the word out loud. Remember 'The Lives of Others' episode? She didn't need to say the three words out loud, instead, she showed him how much she knew him, how much she meant to him.
I believe she was a helpless romantic at heart (She did enjoy the movie, 'Valentine's Day' after all lol). So, that's why I deleted everything and started over. It's been fun to write again, so I hope you all enjoy it! Reviews are very much appreciated! Thank you!