As he turned, his breath caught in his throat. There she was, looking radiant and beautiful, her eyes shining softly, a shy smile on her face. As she walked towards him, towards their future together, he found himself revisiting all the precious moments he had shared with Det. Katherine Beckett, his Kate.. The first time he saw her, with her short brown hair and the businesslike but oh so unintentionally sexy attitude. The first words she spoke to him, the words that had thrown him so off guard. Their first case together, the first woman immune to his bad boy persona. The first tidbit he learned about the enigma that was her. The way that friendship grew out of annoying and being annoyed. The hurt and vulnerability he saw in her when he brought up her mother's case. The angry flash in her eyes every time she looked at him on their first case after that. The way she would always be there to give him an insight into the psyche of his teenage daughter. Their coffees.. Such a small part of their day, but such a big part of their lives. The time he realised that he was falling headlong for those expressive hazel eyes and the adorable way in which her mouth quirked when she smiled, for the boundless strength she found to comfort the people she met, all the while carrying an unthinkable burden of her own. Their so called mind meld and the theories and stories they built together. The tenacious glint in her eyes when she said she didn't need a beer to take him and a the hesitance that entered them immediately after.. The imperceptible disappointment on her face when he had gone away with Gina. All the times she nearly killed him, testing his willpower with her relentless teasing. The way his heart broke at her pain when he dragged her away from the hangar that fateful night. The panic, the pain and the horror he felt when he saw her take that bullet. The first time he said those three words that wouldn't stop zooming around his head every time he looked at her. The feel of her body, huddled in his arms as they fought the cold in the freezer. The first time they kissed, when the rest to the world seemed to disappear from around them. The crushing disappointment, the rage and rejection which filled his every cell when he found out that she lied to him. That night, that glorious night when she came to him, when she let him love her and let herself be loved. The fairytale of their not so secret relationship. The Hamptons, with that gorgeous and wonderful woman by his side. The overwhelming faith and belief she had in him in the face of hard, solid evidence. Every single kiss they shared, each better than the previous one, but not as good as the next one. Her constant, unyieldding support that gave him strength when his daighter went missing. That nerve wracking day when the love of his life stood on a bomb. The shock of finding out about her job offer in D.C. The proposal, the moment she said yes, the moment she threw the door open for him to share the rest of her life with her. The way she still put her victims and people's life first, even if it meant getting fired. The joy that his fiancee filled his life with. The way she looked holding baby Cosmo. The way she was a friend, a confidant and a guide for Alexis. The day when they finally put Bracken away, the triumph on her face at finally putting her mother's soul to rest. Their wedding to be, their excitement and then... Two months of nothing. The disappointment of missing out on on the most important and wonderful day of his life still weighed heavily upon him, but looking at her now, as she finally reached her place by his side, the way they were always meant to be, he couldn't help but think that he would never in a million years exchange this day and this moment for any other kind of wedding. This was all them. Just them and the most important people in their lives, the guest list that they both had wanted.
He watched her say her vows. They were simple but beautiful, and one look at her face told him how much meaning and emotion lay behind those words. God, he was such a lucky man.. What on earth had he done to deserve this wonderful, wonderful woman?
He said his vows after she finished, trying to tell her what she meant to him in 6 sentences instead of 6 books.
"By the power vested in me by the state of New York, I now pronounce you husband and wife."
Husband and wife, husband and wife.. The words just played over and over in his head as he kissed his bride, his wife..
The love of his life, his partner in crime and life, was his at last, and nothing could separate them now. Because they were meant to be. Always.