"Will you marry me?"

The world stopped. What?

No.

This was not happening.

Castle was not standing on her doorstep, looking dashing in his black tuxedo, holding out a diamond ring and roses to her, asking her to marry him.

This wasn't possible.

*Beep.*

*Beep.*

She looked at his smiling face and brought her hands out to take the ring from him. He stepped closer to her, his look making her insides tremble.

*Beep.*

*Beep.*

She smiled her own loving smile as a tear made its way slowly down her cheek.

*Beep.*

*Beep.*

What was that infernal beeping?

She looked down at her hands where the ring was shining from and let her face be taken in by the man before her. Her lips opened in anticipation and…

*Beep.*

*Beep.*

Kate Becket opened her eyes and discovered where the annoying beeping was coming from. 5 AM. It was time to wake up, get up and start her day. She groaned and shook her head. It was time to leave the fantasy world and come back down to the real one.

She turned on her back and looked to the other side of her bed and frowned. Head was popping up from under the covers, frowning at her.

"What time is it?" the head asked.

Kate looked down at her hands. Her frown deepened.

Maybe everything hadn't been a dream after all.

She looked up at the man lying next to her. He wore a completely relaxed expression on his face, completely contented by the situation. She looked down at her hand once more.

Maybe this wasn't so bad, and if she remembered last night correctly, maybe it was quite good.

Maybe reality wasn't quite so bad.

She turned and kissed Castle tenderly on the lips. They didn't really have to get up yet. There were still a few hours before they had to be in. She didn't really have to go to the gym this morning, not when there was plenty of good equipment right here on this bed.