A/N: As most of the Castle fandom will agree, the Season Six finale certainly... burned.
I claim no ownership to Castle and the characters, even though they are my bby's.
Chapter 1
Swiveling her chair around to look at Castle, an exuberant smile filled Kate's face as she turned towards him. "I can't believe you gave him the money from Pastor Bob."
"I'm a sucker for happy endings," Castle replied in a nonchalant tone which was accompanied by a shrug of his shoulders. "Now, let's get the hell out of this town and get our own."
Kate couldn't help but allow the resounding 'yes' to lift from her chest and spew from her lips. She slid off her bar stool rather quickly, her hand linking with Castle's as a gleeful speech filled the air.
"We're getting married!" she announced. The short speech was only heard by a few lingering souls who smiled and shook their heads in return. The couple's utter excitement was enough to make any passerby feel its radiating effect.
As they exited the bar, Kate's eyes were momentarily stunned by the bright afternoon, which had ceased to exist in the dark bar. The pair of them strolled to Kate's car, Rick walking her to the driver door. He dropped her hand to cup her face, his baby blues lingering on her hazel eyes as they melted into a whirlpool of color.
"I'll meet you at the loft tonight and I'll deliver the marriage licenses' tomorrow morning," he informed her.
Kate nodded her head in his hands, her love eyes remaining locked on his. A liberated smile filled her face as Castle bent his head forward, planting a chaste kiss on her lips.
"I'll see you soon, Mrs. Castle," he whispered, planting a soft kiss on her forehead.
Kate could only offer a smile in response for her words seemed to betray her. His hands slowly dropped from her face as he turned away from her, beginning his journey to his car, which was only parked a mere few spots away from her car. Kate stood motionless, her eyes trained on his retreating figure until it disappeared into his flashy vehicle. Kate climbed into her own car, turning the keys with a flick of her wrist. With a roar, her car purred to life, the soft aura of music filling her ears. Kate put her car into drive, the long-awaited journey of returning to New York City, and ultimately the Hampton's, officially beginning.
Kate's eyes wandered the road before her, trees passing her by in the blink of an eye. Signs whirled past her until the desired information registered in her mind. One mere mile passed and she took the necessary exit to pull her car off at the rest stop. She only had a half an hour until she saw Rick again. Yet, even with the idea of seeing him soon, Kate couldn't seem to control the butterflies that plagued her stomach, butterflies which had only started to occur when she thought about their impending marriage.
Pulling into a parking stall, Kate got out of her car, closing the door behind her as she processed to the bathroom. Her eyes scanned the area around her, carefully looking at her surroundings as if a suspect was going to barrage his way into her.
Moments later, she found herself in the bathroom, staring at her reflection in the mirror. Her eyes felt sunken and tired, her lips pressing into a tight line as she shook her head back and forth. She cupped her hands with water, splashing the liquid on her face. She rubbed her eyes with the backs of her hands before wiping her face off. With a deep, heaving breath, she exited the bathroom.
It wasn't until she looked up from the ground that she saw him. Her face paraded shock as she attempted to comprehend the scene about to unfurl in front of her. Standing before her was someone she hadn't seen for months and yet somehow had found her.
"Kate Beckett. I was wondering when I'd run into you," he said in his usual tone.
"D-Doyle?" Kate replied in shock, her eyes blinking rapidly as if he was a mirage that her mind had somehow conjured up. How she and the time traveler had wound up in the same rest stop in the middle of nowhere, Kate couldn't fathom.
"I was planning to skip the formalities," he stated, his eyes locking on hers in a knowing way.
"Wh-what are ya doing here?"
"Why, I thought you'd be accustomed to my visits by now," he replied, his tone feigning shock. "But, I will tell you... Maybe I shouldn't," he paused, his mouth gaping open in the slightest, his head turning to the side as if contemplating his decision.
"Doyle, what are you doing here?" Kate asked again, as if to aid in his resolve to tell her whatever it is his mind could conjure up on the fly, or at least, so she believed.
"Something big is going to happen..." He stated in a vague tone.
Kate's only response to this information was to look at him in disbelief, her eyebrows rising in a slight annoyance.
"Doyle, I know that you're not actually a time traveler. You can stop the act."
"I knew you'd say that. See, you have to believe me though. I'm not sure when your wedding is… They didn't tell me. But something is going to happen before your wedding."
"Whoever 'they' is forgot to mention that my wedding is tomorrow." Kate said, the annoyance in her tone finally matched the annoyance on her face. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a fiancée to return to." Kate made a move to step around him, her high heels clicking against the pavement in her rushed steps.
"No, wait! You have to believe me. Something bad is going to happen to Rick Castle. He has to do something before the wedding, right?
Kate halted her agitated steps. She looked at him, her eyes squinting as if studying him, the vein in her forehead seeming to stand out a little more than usual.
"He's supposed to get our marriage license," she informed him.
"Yeah, that's it!" he said in excitement, as if his accusations were actually right.
"I'm sure it is," Kate mused.
"You see, that's the big event. On his way to the wedding, after picking up the marriage license of course, he is going to be in an accident."
As soon as his sentenced had coursed from his lips, time began to slow until everything turned into a haze, a haze which lingered only around Kate Beckett.
