Disclaimer I: The characters portrayed are the result of the fertile mind of Andrew H Marlowe, owned by AHM & ABC Studios, and brought to life brilliantly by Nathan Fillion, Stana Katic, et al. I own nothing.

Disclaimer II: Since I don't own anything, I shouldn't be held responsible for any mistakes contained therein. However, if I did screw up, PLEASE COMMENT! I can't get more gooder if I don't know what y'all want

Disclaimer III: I'm a total rookie, a babe in the woods. I have never ever ever submitted ANY fan fic , nor have I blogged, tweeted, or anything else...on any subject. Fell in love with the Castle universe 3 months ago and this is the resulting insanity. I have a dozen more ideas, most better than this. If you like this, let me know, and I'll do more. If not, I'll treat this like a winter cold, and hope it passes quickly. So, PLEASE COMMENT.

Takes place early spring in Season 6. A nice sunny day.

Castle threw a half-hearted wave and Kate a smile to Eduardo as the doorman swung the door open for them. They blasted into the bright sunlight and swung left down the wide sidewalk, all the while continuing their discussion.

"C'mon, Castle, don't be so glum. I bet you'll end up loving the place".

Castle looked down at Kate in the bright sunlight. Even after all this time, he was still amazed at her natural beauty. She just got prettier every day. Despite wearing her baggy workout clothes he thought she was the hottest girl in New York. He frowned as she threw on her Maui Jims, eclipsing those magnificent eyes, and replied "That's a bet you'd lose, and it won't even be close."

Kate adjusted the gym bag strap on her shoulder. "Look. There's three reasons this is going to be great." She lifted her index finger. "One is proximity – it's only a block and a building from our front door." Middle finger went up. "Dos – Everyone I've spoken to raves about Gotham Gym in general and this one specifically. It's fairly new and relatively deserted. " Her ring finger joined the other 2. "And C – it'll give us that much more time together." She gave him enthusiastic. "Hey, it'll be fun. Plus I'll no longer be stuck waiting forever at the precinct just to use their antiquated equipment."

"How long before you need to get back?"

Kate checked the big wristwatch. "I should have a couple hours. The ADA thought she'd be ready by then. She'll call and give me a half hour warning." She gave Castle a grimace. "Of course, I need to walk all the way to the car. Last night I had to park 3 blocks south 'cause all the good spots were taken. Why don't you ever put one of your cars on the street so I can pull right into the garage?"

Castle looked shocked. "You want me to park the Ferrari or the Mercedes on the street so your NYPD P-O-S can have a spot in the garage?"

"Castle, are you saying you love your cars more than me?"

He gave her hurt. "Of course not….. I'd never park YOU on the street..." As she rolled her eyes he grinned and added "…overnight."

They paused at the crosswalk to wait for the light. Kate swung around so she was facing Castle. She smiled and put her hands on his shoulders. "Listen, Rick, give this place a chance. The big 4-0 is in your rearview mirror. I am looking forward to spending the rest of my life with you, and I want to make sure it's a long and healthy life."

"I seem to remember, when we first started working together, you kept insisting that I was 12."

She took a step back and slowly raked him with a hungry look. All the way down to his toes, and all the way back up again. A brief reveal of tongue. "That'd make you what? 19 next week? Works for me, Castle."

Wow. This woman could give him a visceral thrill by just looking at him. He cleared his throat as the light changed. "Your inappropriate, and slightly disturbing, fantasies aside, I think I'm in pretty good shape…for any age. God knows I get a lot of exercise following you and the boys around."

She gave him sarcastic. "Castle, running down the street to the falafel stand is not exercise."

"Funny." Castle threw up his hands in mock surrender. "Okay, fine, we'll check it out. Not more than an hour, right?"

They both paused in front of the gym. A few eager individuals could be seen through the picture window working out on the spotless equipment. The place looked cavernous.

"It's so big" they said in unison. This created two self satisfied smiles and a shared look, both remembering Beckett's words as she admired her new ring. The glass doors whooshed open as they stepped into the lobby.