Elizabeth could be quite the drama queen when things didn't go her way. As of this moment, she was screaming because Kate decided to put a headband on her. She stood on the chair, her mouth open as she wailed, her face turning red, but not a single tear falling from her eye. Kate was on her knees, the grey dress fanned out so she wouldn't trip as she stood, her hands grasped around their little one's waist. "I know, I'm the worst." She moved her head to catch Elizabeth's eye, and he could see her smile in her cheeks. "Hey sweet pea! Can Mumma see your smile?"
"No!" Their girl crossed her arms, her head thrown dramatically away from her mother, eyes squeezed shut. Kate copied her movements, a smirk in the corner of her mouth, and waited for Elizabeth to pay attention. She did it a few more times, until the little girl laughed at each exaggerated movement, her mother helping her to realize the ridiculousness of the situation. "Dat's silly Mama!" Elizabeth's hands made their way to Kate's cheeks, her dark blue eyes meeting her mother's, her face serious. "Be happy!"
At the girl's command, Kate's smile grew, as brilliant as it had ever been, and she leaned forward, stealing a kiss from the toddler. "Thank you, baby!" She crooned, a lilt that brought a smile to his face as he watched from afar. "You look beautiful."
"Sanks!" The girl sat herself down, sliding off the chair and running across the dance floor. Castle caught her before Kate could ask him to, swinging their youngest up into his arms. Her squeals and giggles echoed in the empty venue, and he bounced around the dance floor just to hear them continue. It was only his wife's hand at his back that made him stop, his arm snaking around her and pulling her to his side.
His wife's eyes searched the empty banquet hall, her fingers tightening in his jacket. "Where is Oliver?"
"Outside taking pictures with Ryan and Espo. Lanie sent me to find her maid of honor."
"Shit!" She groaned as the curse fell through her lips, pulling the baby from his arm and kissing both of her ears, like it would erase it from the girl's mind. "I can't leave her waiting."
As she started to duck away, he grabbed her arm, pulling her in for a quick kiss. "I'm sure she can wait for a second. You look stunning." His hand fell to the open back, his fingers tracing up and down her spine.
She bit her bottom lip, her eyes narrowing as she pushed up on her toes to kiss him once more. Her head hesitated for a moment, their noses still touching as she contemplated going in for another. "Thank you." Her eyes flicked upward to meet his, mirth dancing in the corners as she grinned. "But I have to go." She took off then, turning to look at him once more, her hand on the doorway. "And I'm taking the baby with me."
He couldn't help his laughter as he followed her out, finding the rest of the wedding party waiting for the two of them, all posed, their son rolling his eyes as more and more time passed. Kate stood behind him, next to the bride, and ruffled his thick hair, making him crack a smile. After a few different configurations, Castle left them, deciding to scope out his table.
Lanie had given the Castle family an entire table, even though Kate was expected to eat at the head table with the rest of the wedding party. But he figured it would make meal time a bit more manageable, knowing he could call in reinforcements, especially since Alexis was busy wrangling her own child.
The kids broke in the dance floor before the DJ had even started, Oliver showing off his cool disco moves he'd seen on TV to anyone who wanted to watch, while Elizabeth chased after boys and bounced on the balls of her feet, her clumsy hands meeting in an off beat while music played. When his eyes weren't glued to his children, he was watching Kate, who seemed to be in constant communication with her best friend, her face lighting up in a different way as she shared in her best friend's joy.
"Alright folks, if you could do me a favor and clear the dance floor, we would really appreciate it." The voice over the loudspeaker pulled his gaze from his wife, and his eyes travelled from the DJ table to his daughter, who was sitting right in the center of the dance floor. "It's just about time for the first dance, so we need this little girl's Mommy or Daddy to come grab her please."
He and Kate both stood, and he waved her off as he made his way over to his beaming daughter, who waited for him with outstretched arms. When he'd lifted her, she settled into his chest, her head resting on his shoulder as they walked away. Lanie met them halfway, pressing a kiss to the toddler's forehead with a smile on her face. "Just one song, baby girl. After that you can dance to your heart's content. I promise." Elizabeth didn't seem to mind either way, as long as she could spend time in her Daddy's arms, but nodded anyway, her hands tightening in his shirt.
Lanie and James made their way to the floor, one of her hands on his shoulder, the other with fingers intertwined, her eyes locked on his as the slow music started. They shared secret looks, looks of joy, laughter, and pure happiness as they circled together, the smooth vocals making time seem like it was slowing down. After the first verse, the DJ invited other couples up to share in the moment. Lanie's parents were the first to join, dancing with practiced ease that only came from years of devotion. And slowly, more and more couples made their way up to the dance floor. Castle met his wife's eyes from across the room, her smile widening at the attention, her head jerking in the direction of the couples who had joined their friends. So Castle turned and deposited Elizabeth in the unsuspecting arms of his son-in-law, who gripped her like he was afraid to drop her. He addressed both Emmet and his daughter, who was more occupied in keeping Owen busy and off the dance floor to go up with her husband. "I owe you two. I'll entertain Owen for the next slow song." And with that, he rushed off, meeting his wife's outstretched hand on the edge of the dance floor and pulling her close. Her head rested against his shoulder as they joined the others, swaying together at the perfect pace, his hand around her waist keeping her close to him. "Hey beautiful."
He could feel her grin widen against his shoulder, her hand offering his a squeeze. "Hey yourself."
He ran his hand up and down her back, the design of the dress allowing him to feel her spine beneath his fingertips without barriers. "You know, you should wear things like this more often." At this she pulled away her head to meet his eye, her eyebrow quirked just enough to ask him to clarify, her mouth partially open to tell him she really didn't need to know, the contrast on her face making him chuckle. "I mean the color. It brings out your eyes. They look greener tonight, it's nice."
At his comment, she blushed, ducking her head for a moment before meeting his eyes again. "Do you like it better when they're green?"
"I don't know if I have a favorite eye color on you." His head tilted to the side as he thought. "I like them when they're a darker, richer brown, or a darker green like moss. And when they turn that nice amber color, I swear, they shine. But today, they remind me of a beautiful spring day. I don't know what I like best. I've always liked your eyes!"
She stood on her toes, swallowing the rest of his thoughts with a kiss as the song came to an end. Soon their private moment would be interrupted by a toddler and a six-year-old who just want to dance, so he held her close to him for as long as he could. "Maybe I'll wear this out on our next date night then."
He chuckled, his hand tracing a path up her spine again. "I might like that."
They were interrupted by little arms wrapping around their legs. The rest of the night they spent dancing with their children, celebrating the new life Lanie was creating with her husband, and soaking up all the happiness that life could give.
April is Sexual Assault Awareness month, which, as you may know, means a lot to me personally. I have a video, www DOT youtube DOT com SLASH watch?v=5fz8t8mrDe4 where I talk about how I want to change the world, by getting us survivors to start talking about how we are survivors and proud. By getting us to stop hiding in the shadows, because we are not the ones who should feel ashamed. If we don't come forward and raise our voices, we won't ever change anything. That, and if I had seen a video like mine, I may have come forward sooner, and would have been out of a dangerous situation faster, and I hope that this will actually save someone. That, and I made a facebook page, facebook DOT com SLASH ordinaryisextraordinary. Here, I have an album of survivor photos and I post articles and inspirational quotes. It would mean so much to me if you all could share this information, like the page or something, just to help get the word out. Because in my mind, this can save lives.