Disclaimer: I do not own Castle at all. Not in the slightest.

As he sits on a plane to Paris with Kate Beckett asleep on his shoulder, he is very glad that he decided to come to her wedding.

While it was a miracle that he mustered the resolve to go, it was an even bigger miracle that Josh mustered the resolve to leave. (He can't imagine that it's easy to leave the woman sitting next to him.)

He doesn't like calling it a miracle. Yes, he's very glad that the love of his life isn't married to someone else right now, but she's obviously heartbroken. She knew it wouldn't work and she only married him because she couldn't see a reason why she shouldn't, but she still got left at the altar. In front of all her friends and family. Her colleagues. And despite his hatred for Josh, he loves her beyond reason and he just wants her to be happy. And she isn't.

She really wanted her first wedding to be her last. And it likely won't be.

Because he's finally gonna man up and do something instead of being a coward who leaves her alone for a whole summer because he was jealous. He wants her. He loves her. And with luck, their wedding will be the last one that either of them has.

He's getting ahead of himself. Luckily, his thoughts are interrupted by her stirring beside him.

They'd left in a hurry. She had luggage packed already and she insisted that he go to the loft and pack and that he didn't need to hurry, because she's fine and their flight doesn't leave for a couple more hours. But he ran around the loft like a mad man, chucking random things into his suitcase because even though he was still feeling distraught for her, he was starting to get excited.

Kate seems to evoke that feeling quite often. Excitement.

They had time to sit in the airport, so they sipped coffee while he spun elaborate stories about the people walking by. She was laughing and contributing and he felt like the luckiest person in the world whenever he saw her smile.

Now, as she raises her head from his shoulder and looks at him sleepily with a tight turn of her lips, he falls in love with her all over again.

They drank on the plane.

They drank more than they probably should have.

By the time they make it to the hotel, they are buzzed enough that neither of them registers that they are staying in a room meant for newlyweds on their honeymoon.

There are roses. There's champagne. There's only one bed.

They fall into it together, still laughing about something he can't really remember, and stare up at the ceiling.

When their laughter fades, he looks over at her. The light from the Eiffel Tower and the general glow from the city shine in from the window and paint her in golden light. He can see the red of her cheeks and the gold in her eyes and he thinks that she looks more beautiful here than she ever will in a wedding dress.

She's soft and warm from the alcohol, instead of the rigid detective that he sees every day. The excitement that seems to constantly thrum inside him is gone. She's not impulsively inviting him to Paris. She's not taking down bad guys in high heels like some kind of goddess. She's lying in bed with him and smiling and the excitement is replaced with calm contentment. He could do without the excitement. As long as he can stay here for the rest of his life.

She turns on her side and grasps his hand with both of hers and presses them to her chest.

"Thank you," she whispers.

He doesn't know if it's the warmth of her hands or the warmth of her gaze or the way she says those two words in a way he's never heard before, but something causes his insides to scream kiss her, you idiot.

So he does.

It's gentle and lighter than air. Not as much as he wants, but way more than he needs. Her lips are soft and warm just like her, and it's slow and quiet and every part of him revels in the perfection of it all; the calm that has risen from the chaos.

They break apart and stare at each other with new found courage and love that has been there from the beginning.

There's more to think about. There's more to fix. But for now, they go to sleep in each other's arms, and that's enough.

Author's Note: WOW I AM SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG. I wrote this really fast because I really wanted to give you guys an update and this is the first night that I've had time. Phew. I don't have a beta, so all mistakes are mine. I'm about to get all neurotic with explaining details and stuff, so beware.

Some people have expressed concern over how Castle gets a ticket and stuff. I'm gonna come right out and say that I'm pretending that worked itself out. I wrote this in a perfect world where all the travel stuff is easy and no one is mad at each other because of friendship and the truest of true loves? I don't know. I've never been in this situation, so I don't know the technicalities. I just know that Rachel and Ross were gonna go on the honeymoon in Friends, and Carrie brought all her friends with her on her honeymoon in Sex in the City. That is all my knowledge of this particular situation.

I love constructive criticism very much, and all of your sweet reviews put a huge smile on my face. Thanks for reading!