*A second, admittedly more realistic, way the proposal could work itself out. Because my brain just won't shut up after that finale.

(Castle)

"Katherine Houghton Beckett, will you marry me?"

He's stunned her into silence. When it's been a couple of minutes and she hasn't responded, he starts to get concerned. "Kate," he prompts, "now would be a good time to say something."

She laughs. She actually laughs and that gorgeous smile stays on her face as she joins him on the ground. She takes his face in her hands and kisses him. She's still smiling when she pulls back and whispers, "No."

Every thought in his brain crashes into a jumbled heap and his heart sinks into his stomach. He pockets the ring, moves to stand up. "This was a bad idea," he mutters.

"No. No, Castle," Kate says frantically, pulling him back down. She takes his face in her hands again, makes her look at him. "Let me rephrase," she says. "Not right now."

"Not...right now?" he repeats, still confused but regaining hope because she's still smiling.

Her right hand wanders, curling around his ear, caressing his jaw, stroking his cheek. She's done this often enough before that he knows what she's doing. She's trying to calm him down.

"You know I love you, Castle," she murmurs. "And I do want this, someday. But, right now, it's just too soon." She pauses, lets out a sigh. "I mean, look at us, Castle. When things get serious, we don't talk about it. We either brush it off or run and hide. And I don't want to keep doing that. You're too important. We're too important."

He swallows, leans into her caress. "You're right," he admits. "But I got scared, Kate. Because we don't talk about things, and sometimes that's okay, but when it's something this big..." He swallows down the lump in his throat. "I felt like I was losing you. We weren't talking, and I got scared because I can't lose you. And I...I just needed you to know that I'm in this, no matter what."

A tear slips down her cheek, and before he can brush it away, she's wrapping her arms around him, crushing herself to him. "I got scared, too," she confesses. "I didn't know where we were going and then we weren't talking and I didn't know what to do." He feels her tears drip onto his neck. "And then, before you proposed..." She sniffles, lets out a shaky breath, and continues, "I thought you were breaking up with me."

He holds her closer, pulls her into his lap. "Never," he says, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "I promise. I'm with you, no matter what."

She nods against him, sniffles again. "We really suck at this, don't we?" she asks, looking up at him.

He kisses her, brushes away more tears. "Not all the time," he says. "And we can work on this. We will work on this," he promises.

She nods again. "We will," she says, determination ringing in her voice. She untangles herself from his embrace, helps him up. "Just so you know," she starts, "I'm not going to D.C. They offered me the job, but I'm not taking it."

"Why not?" he asks, genuinely curious. "I thought it was what you wanted."

"So did I, but I was wrong," she says. "New York, the 12th, you...this is my home. This is where I belong." She slips her arm around his waist, starts leading him to her car. "Let's go home, Castle."

"And where would that be?" he asks.

She grins up at him. "Does it matter?"

He grins back, kisses her temple. "Not at all."