Under and Over Chapter 98

Rick's grin lights every square inch of his face. "You nailed him!"

"We did," Kate confirms stepping over the loft's threshold. "To start, we arrested Oro, aka Anguila, for attempting to sell cocaine. But once we had his DNA, we matched it to what CSU found at the Checker murder scene. And remains of a Zycot ceremonial vessel with traces of cocaine were still in a dumpster near Oro's apartment. The arrogant asshole hadn't even wiped off his fingerprints. A missing piece matches Perlmutter's reconstruction of the murder weapon."

"So the eel will no longer slither through the streets of New York," Rick proclaims gleefully. "I'd say this calls for an all-out celebration, but we'll have to put it off for the time being. David is due any moment to go over last-minute details. The non-denominational pastor he lined up suggested several services fairly close to what would have been performed for your parents. He wants us to choose one. He also wants us to confirm the final menu for the reception and our cake-tasting appointment."

Kate crosses the room to peer into the refrigerator. "The details of the service weren't on the video of my parents' wedding." She closes the refrigerator door again without taking anything out. "I don't really have any basis for choosing between clones."

Rick's brows descend toward the bridge of his nose. "Clones is a strangely clinical way to put it. But, other than fulfilling your wish to bless our union as your parent's union was blessed, what matters is what's between you and me. The words of the celebrant can't change that one way or another. So you can obsess over the wording or close your eyes and point, but we'll be as married either way."

"I could let you choose," Kate offers.

"No way! You wanted your perfect wedding, and I'm not about to barge into your dreams. Anyway, you're more fun when you're awake, especially when you…."

The door buzzer sounds and Kate goes to greet the wedding planner. Arranging her face in her best bridely smile, she ushers David Metz into the loft.

"Well, that's it, then," Rick declares as he locks the door behind a departing David. "We taste cakes tomorrow night, we have our menu and our service. But you know how curious I am about how you made your choice. You were studying the alternatives way too long to have closed your eyes and pointed – and your eyes stayed open."

"You're right. I was looking for a word or phrase that would be more about us, not just any couple."

"And you found one?"

"Uh-huh, the word 'always.' It was what you promised me in the back of that ambulance after you beat the hell out of Lockwood. And I don't want to go into marriage thinking that if it doesn't work out, I'll get a divorce and try again. I want it to be one and done. I want it to be for always."

Rick pulls her into his embrace, close against the warmth of his chest. "You are the love of my life. With you is the first time I could ever say that about any woman. And I want this marriage to be for always too."

Kate gazes up, caressing his cheek. "You know, you promised me a celebration."

"That, I did. And how would you like to start?"

Kate grabs Rick's hand to lead him toward the bedroom. "At the top and work down."

He sweeps her up in his arms. "Sounds perfect."

Kate stares at the row of fine china plates bearing impossibly enticing cake samples. "I could gain at least a pound just looking at all of those."

"Which confirms the wisdom of your maid of honor when she insisted you eat a healthy meal before getting fitted for your gown. "And," he adds with a wink, "we burned plenty of extra calories last night."

Kate bumps him with her hip. "Private, Castle."

Rick points at the plate in the center of the line-up. "That looks promising, chocolate and cherries, two signature Beckett tastes. And ooh! Do I catch a hint of coffee aroma? Mocha?"

Carrie Nussbaum, pastry chef extraordinaire, nods approvingly. "Good nose, Rick. It's a mocha cake with dark chocolate frosting and chocolate-cherry filling."

Rick loads a cake fork and offers it to Kate. Her eyes close in sensory rapture. "That's incredible! But…," she sighs, opening her eyes. "I know some of the guests are allergic to chocolate, my cousin Sophie for one."

Carrie smiles her understanding. "It's not a problem, Kate. Lots of weddings now have two cakes. You can call the second one the groom's cake or just alternative joy." She points to a slice at the end of the row. "Try that."

Using another fork, Kate takes a small taste and then a larger one. "That's amazing. It's sweet, and it's spicy."

"Butterscotch cinnamon," Carrie informs her. "No chocolate will get anywhere near it, except perhaps on a table at your reception. "So the chocolate-cherry-mocha for the main tiered cake and a more modest butterscotch cinnamon, or do you want full impact from both?"

Rick looks down at Kate. "When do you ever do anything at less than full impact?"

Kate colors. "Make them both tiered. But the one with the chocolate gets the bride and groom on top."

Carrie nods. "I understand."

Rick opens the car door for Kate and smiles as she slides inside. Trotting quickly around the vehicle, he takes the wheel. "Well, that's it for the wedding chores for now. It's still early. After the cake, popcorn would be anticlimactic, but you want to catch a movie?"

Kate shakes her head. "I want to get in a lesson in my reading course."

"How's that coming along?" Rick asks.

"Better than I hoped. I tried another practice test for one of the LSAT sections where I ran out of time before. I think I still could have done better, but at least I managed to answer all the questions this time. And I believe I got through some of the reports at work faster, too."

"Outstanding! And now that you've managed to thoroughly clear Susan Cheeseborough, I imagine Montgomery will have no further objections to my presence in the 12th Precinct."

"Yeah, he said if I needed you for a case, you could come back. And Castle, I'm not sure if he believed me, but I told him the sting we used to collar Anguila was your idea."

"Which would have been useless without your execution. We do make great partners, Kate, in the bullpen and elsewhere."

"We'd better, or a lot of cake will be going to waste."

"Is that w-a-s-t-e or w-a-i-s-t?" Rick teases.

"Yes."

With the mug of rich coffee that Rick provided within easy reach, Kate settles in front of her computer. She takes in as much as she can of the text scrolling rapidly in front of her. She's sure she isn't getting every word, but the questions that follow will test whether she comprehends the full meaning or not. If she doesn't, she'll have to try again with another passage until her brain starts absorbing at the rate she needs. But if she succeeds, she'll be a step further toward her goal. The thought of moving forward is energizing, even without Rick's incredible brew. But she really would love another slice of that chocolate-cherry-mocha wonder. Weddings usually have way too much cake. She doubts there will be many leftovers from that one. And she's keeping any there are.