Disclaimer: The errors are mine. The show and characters aren't.

Originally writer: November 4, 2013

The Wedding Party

Part I: The Wedding Party

The couple lay in their bed, their legs tangled from the last round of play.

"What are you thinking about Kate?" Castle said, lightly stroking up and down her arm.

Beckett, with her back to his chest, shifter back until their skins touched. "Can you believe this? That we're getting married, I mean."

"It is kinda crazy, isn't it? It does not feel like we've been together for 6 years." Rick slipped his arm from hers and wrapped it around her stomach.

"We haven't." she giggled. "Castle, we've only been together for a year and a half."

"I guess 'technically' we have. But you and I both know that we had feelings for each other for 6 years. We both know that we wanted something with the other person."

"I don't know about that. Maybe 5 and a half years." Kate quipped.

"Hey!"

"I'm just kidding Castle!" she smirked, "You're so easy!"

"Oh am I? You're gonna get it!" Castle shifted around, coming face-to-face with his fiancé.

"No. Castle. No. No!" Kate began. It was no use. Castle knew Beckett, and her body well, which meant that he knew exactly where she was ticklish. Soon, her screams filled the room. "Please! Rick!" she gasped. "Fine. 6 years! Just stop!" she cried.

"Say you're sorry." He looked up, grinning ear-to-ear.

"What? No way!" she said. Castle started tickling again. "Fine! Fine! I'm sorry. Rick, I'm sorry." She panted.

"You're forgiven." Castle let go of his grip on her, kissed Beckett on her lips, then laid back down beside Kate.

Kate turned over, threw her arm around Castle's waist and cuddled into his side. "Do you ever think about it?"

"About what, babe?"

"About what life would be like if we never got together? If that Tisdale case wasn't based on your books? Gosh, Castle. The thought alone is making me sick. I would have never met you, I wouldn't have fallen head over heels in love with you. Castle…" Kate started panicking.

"Kate, no matter what would have happen, it could not have been better than this. I would not have been this happy." Rick whispered, kissing her forehead.

"Neither would I." she smiled.

Silence filled the room for the next few minutes; words not needed to express the emotions the pair felt.

Suddenly, Kate sat up, turned toward Castle and smiled.

"What?" he smiled back, mesmerized by the glow on his lover's face.

"I want to plan our wedding. Right now. I want to start putting things together. I want to get married. No more putting it off. Let's start! Now!"

"Okay. Yeah. Let's do it! Let's plan our wedding!" Rick's face lit up. He couldn't help but lean up and kiss Kate's face.

"Babe." Kate pulled away. "As much as"*kiss*"I would like" *kiss* "to keep doing this" *kiss*, "we were" *kiss* "going to start planning" *kiss* "our wedding" *kiss*.

"I know that we said that we would not put it off anymore, but I think that it can wait another hour or two, don't you? Darling?"

Beckett wordlessly nodded. And no more words were spoken during the next few hours.

"So… head over heels in love, huh?"

"Shut up Rick." Kate blushed. "I am, so what?"

"Nothing, I just love that you love me. That's all." Castle smiled.

"I love that you love me too. Now," Kate said, getting down to business, "who do you want in our wedding party? Who's gonna be your 'best man'? I bet the boys would kill each other for it!"

"Actually, I was thinking that, now I know it's unconventional but I thought… I thought…" all of a sudden, the sheets became very interesting to Rick.

"Rick. You can tell me. Who are you thinking about asking?" Kate said, pulling Castle's eyes up to hers.

"Alexis. I want Alexis to be my best man. Then the boys don't have to fight for it, and Alexis can realize that she's as much involved in this as we are." Castle started rambling.

"Rick. Hey. Rick! I love that idea." Kate smiled while she sympathetically rubbed his arm. "Who else do you want standing?"

"Just Espo and Ryan."

"No one else?" Beckett looked up from the notepad that she had taken from the bedside table to write notes on.

"I… I don't have many true friends Kate. You guys are the only people who like me for who I really am. No one else." His voice waivered.

"Okay. Well, really that works out because I want to have Jenny and Maddie be my bridesmaids, with Lanie, of course, being my maid-of-honour." Kate smiled, hoping to cheer his fiancé up. "Let's face it. She would probably kill me if it wasn't her."

"Whoa. We just made out wedding party, didn't we? This is really happening, isn't it Kate?"

"Yes it is. Now that we're planning it, it changes the fantasy into a reality. And let me tell you this, Richard Castle. I cannot wait until I can call you my husband. You're my 'one and done'."

"I can't wait until I can call you my wife. Kate. I love you, so much. So much!" Castle pulled his future-bride back down to a lying position on the bed. "I love you Mrs. Castle."

The use of her future title sent little shivers coursing throughout Kate's body. "I love you too, Mr. Castle." She beamed.

"We're getting married." he said.

"We're getting married!" she replied.

And with that, the happy couple nodded off, dreaming of the day not so far away when they would become husband and wife.