Once Lost But Now Found
Chapter 19 - Going Public
Rick answers the ring at their door. It is Lanie and Espo. They're being together is a hint to what Kate and him had been discussing for some time now, Lanie and Espo were fast becoming a couple.
"Hey bro, are we early?"
"Not really, but you are the first, so come in. Kate's still getting Alexis ready."
He fist bumps Espo and then gives a hug and cheek to cheek kiss to Lanie.
They both see the remaining BBQ items in the Kitchen.
"What can we do to help?", asks Lanie.
"Well for starters, Lanie, if you could wheel the wine cart to the elevator, and Javi, if you could grab the rest of the food on the table, we can take them up to the BBQ grill in the rec area?"
"Sure thing, what about Kate, should we wait for her?"
"She'll join us when she is ready. Oh, could you also grab the notice for the door, the one directing the rest of our group to join us up on the top floor rec area. We need to tape it to the front door of the loft."
In short time, everyone arrives at the loft, reads the sign, and go to the top floor where they are all now present in the BBQ area, except for Kate. Seems Kate was just getting ready to head up when she smelled that Alexis needed a diaper change, such were the travails of motherhood. When they finally do arrive, everyone is trying to take Alexis from Kate. Her now adopted 'aunts' and 'uncles' were trying to get time with her. Alexis was now the center of attention for all of Kate's friends.
Rick is busy handling the grill work, apron on, thongs flipping over the ribs as they brown.
"Rick, what do you need me to do?"
"Grab the corn and potatoes we wrapped in foil so I can grill them."
As Kate grabs them, Lanie is the first to see the glare of the one finger of her left hand.
"Katherine Beckett, what is that I see on your left hand."
Kate blushes as she puts down the tray of corn and potatoes next to the BBQ where Rick is grilling. She puts her ring hand quickly behind her back as she attempts to hide it.
"Ok Kate, left hand out, show it to me, you will not hide it, Girl", Lanie says when Kate attempted to hide from view the ring finger of her left hand.
The rest of the group upon hearing Lanie, stop playing with Alexis. They all turn to look at Kate. Lanie comes up to Kate and grabs her left hand for a better look of her engagement ring.
"That is one big rock you have on that ring. Congratulations girl, you're engaged."
That prompts all the other ladies in the group to surround Kate to get a closer look of the ring. All the females are gushing and giving Kate their congratulations.
Edwards and Demming are watching the whole scene, but both do not look happy. Then Espo gives a dab to Paul Whitaker, as Edwards and Demming continue to look stunned at what was just announced by Lanie.
"Congratulations Bro.", say Espo.
"I'll second that", says Anne's BF.
Edwards and Demming are just taking in the whole event, realizing as they did, that Kate is now off the dating scene and no longer available. Rick Castle had finally proposed!
For Brent, he was happy for Kate, even though it meant that he and Kate would not become the couple they once were. For Demming on the other hand, it was a big blow to his ego. Castle had proved he was better at the 'chase' than Tom. Demming had wanted to make Kate just another notch on his bedpost, now it seems that would never happen. As sleezy as Demming is, he did not steal engaged or married women from their significant other. Tom might be a creep, but he is a creep with some honor.
Despite all that had happened with the two men who had pursued Kate romantically, and who now is the woman engaged to Castle; there had still been a lot of comradery and sharing among them all during the BBQ. Edwards and Demming did eventually congratulate Castle on his engagement to Kate later that day, after both got over the initial disappointment that had been experienced by them.
There'd been toasts after toasts that day. Fortunately Rick had provided enough alcoholic beverages to match the numbers of time the glasses were lifted for celebratory drinks. Many of them to the now engaged couple, but an equal number to the three men who had Kate's back during the recent gun fight at the bank robbery event.
At one point Espo managed to get Edwards and Demming together alone and started a conversation with the two.
"How about our girl, she finally gets engaged to her baby daddy. You two okay with that?"
"Why not? I, we, are happy for her. It means she is off the market, and that will take a while to get used to", says Brent.
"Come on Edwards, we both knew there was a good chance it would end this way, but the best man got the girl."
"Really, Demming?", Brent says to his remark, some what disgusted by it, "has this just been some contest for you? A game of pursuit to end when one of us got the girl? "
"If that is what you make of it. I, for one, go with, 'all is fair in love and war'. Rick fought us all off. I hope your response is not sour grapes."
"Tom, I am truly happy for Kate. Even if it is not me that made her happy."
"It's a happy ending for them. So we will just have to suck it in and live with it."
"Amen to that bro's", says Espo.
They all three click their wine glasses together.
"For Kate", says Espo.
"For Kate", the other two men say in unison.
Dinner done, everyone starts to leave shortly afterwards, having shared a fun day together. Rick and Kate however continued the celebration well into the night and past midnight. They woke late in the morning to the cries of Alexis over the child monitor.
Epilogue
After some months, Edwards and Espo swapped assignments. Edwards had said he needed some experience in robbery and Espo got his wish to be on homicide. Everyone had been expecting Edwards to transfer out of the 12th after Kate became engaged. It simply got too much for him to bear, working with Kate while knowing that she now was engaged to Castle. Once in Robbery and teamed with Demming, both man's favorite topic of discussion during boring patrols was about Kate and helped both of them to pass the slow times while on those patrols. Espo quickly adapted to Homicide and he became a very good partner for Beckett.
Five months after completing her rookie year and her probationary status, Kate and Rick got married in a lavish wedding held at their Hampton home. Castle had reserved a group of rooms in the local hotel close to their Beach Home for their guests. The bedrooms available at the beach house were used by Kate's closest friends, her group from the Academy. Edwards and Demming made it, as did Espo and Paul Whitaker, but Ryan could not as he was still doing his deep cover assignment. The girls all were there as bridesmaids with Lanie being her Matron of Honor. Maddy had been beat out for the Matron of Honor. It was not a problem for Maddy that Lanie had been chosen for Matron of Honor. Maddy was just so happy for her BFF since Junior High School. Anyway, Maddy was still one of the Bride's maid and she was thrilled by it. Since their teen years, Maddy had always told Kate she wanted to be a Bridesmaid when Kate finally married. She had gotten her wish even though Lanie was Matron. Maddy was now with a new BF after she broke with Josh. Since Josh had joined Doctors Without Borders, he had been away so often on overseas missions, that their relationship had faltered.
Kate arrived to the wedding on their catamaran with her dad waiting on the newly constructed pontoon dock that had been installed just for the wedding. There on that dock is Jim Beckett to give his daughter away to Rick. When the boat had finally docked, Jim waited for his daughter to disembark from the catamaran. When she was finally on the pontoon landing, he takes her arm and leads her down and off the dock to the isle leading to the wedding altar. Rick waited impatiently for Kate as she waked down the isle to the altar. Espo had become a close friend to Rick since he became Kate's partner. Rick had chosen him as his best man for the wedding. When Kate took Rick's arm, Javi quickly took the velvet box of wedding rings out of his pocket where he had kept them safe and hidden till the right moment.
Once they were at the altar, the two gave their vows to each other.
"Rick, the closer I got to you, the more you made me see; that being here for you, is all I would ever need or want. So I take you for my husband, to be with you always, thru life's ups and downs, its joys and its sorrows. You have shown me all your love and all your devotion. You have been there for me and I want you in my life, always. Let's share a lifetime of dreams."
"Kate, from the first day I saw you, there was a spark. But all the while I thought that all we could ever be was just friends. So I kept you just as a friend, always at arms length. Until you made me see, that what we had was real, in a very special way. Being here for you is all I will ever need. You are the story I want to write. The mystery I want to solve. I want you here beside me to write the new story of us. So I take you as my wife for now and for always. "
As Javi hands them the rings, they each take the other's ring to put on together. Kate placing Rick's ring on his finger, as simultaneously, Rick does the same for Kate. Kate is blushing all the while, looking at those blue eyes of Rick that she can never ignore.
Rick is watching her glow, one that he rarely has seen, but is now on display for him, and for those few at the wedding crowd that knows that glow.
Jim Beckett is one of the few that knows that glow from Kate. His heart is filled with joy over flowing for his daughter and for his grand daughter. Rick had finally made the official act to keep them a family. As a father, Jim Beckett could not want anything more!
Martha is happy that her son has finally met his one and done. It is a relief for Martha, she had, after all, introduced her son to his ex. A union that ended in hurt and betrayal for her son. But now Martha knows that Kate is the one who has healed him and given him also a daughter to love. As a mother that was all she could want for them and her grand daughter.
The minister then announces, "By the power given in me, thru the laws of the State of New York, I now declare you husband and wife. Please kiss to acknowledge your union."
When they kiss, the wedding crowd claps in approval.
Once done with the kiss, the couple faces the wedding assembly.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, I give to you, Mr. and Mrs. Richard Castle", says the Justice of the Peace to the loud applause from the guests.
The wedding celebration lasts well into the night. It is fine dining and drinking. It is an open bar. A catered dinner. All the guests partake of the food and drinks offered. For the dancing, they had employed a DJ from Studio, their favorite club, and the temporary dance floor was large and accommodated many couples. After the wedding dance, came the money dance. Both Brent and Tom danced with Kate for the last time, but also as a first time, with Kate, now a married woman.
"I'm happy for you Kate", says Brent, "I just regret it could not be me that you married, but you remain a close friend."
"Thank you Brent", she tells him noticing Brent trying to hid his disappointment.
But before Brent can respond back to Kate, the dance ends. Demming is there and takes over from Brent.
"Well", he tells Kate, "to the better man goes the bride. Edwards and I never stood a chance, did we? I am glad for you Kate but now you will never know how it could have been", Tom says, in a typical Demming remark, filled with his usual bravado.
"As if I wanted to", she says in a quick retort.
"You have no idea, Kate."
Always the teaser, Kate gives Demming her famous glare.
"Just saying, but I am truly happy for you Kate, and that is not one of my boastful remarks."
"Why Officer Demming, are we being honest, now, with that comment?"
"The hidden side of me you never got to know", he says as the dance ends and Tom makes way for her next dance partner.
Kate is mildly surprised, that is a side of Demming that rarely showed. Had he given her a glimpse of it as if to taunt her. Well, looks like Tom got in the last word, that was typical for the Tom Demming she knew. Of all the men in her life, Tom Demming would go down as the least likely of them all.
The wedding celebration is still going strong after the dancing is done, just as it starts to approach sunset. They all had made the obligatory toasts, and good-byes. Now people are departing as the night draws near, but there remains a core of celebrators who will continue into the night, that includes all of Kate's immediate group of best friends. Rick and Kate leave by catamaran as the day starts to go dark. They are to head to Keys, Key West in particular, for their honeymoon. Alexis is with her grandparents who will care for her as Rick and Kate enjoy the honeymoon.
As they head out of the Hamptons, bound for Florida, there is a beautiful sunset. Rick is at the helm of their boat and Kate is seated beside him. They observed the stunning sunset with its bright colors... and then they kiss. They will arrive at Florida and the Keys many days later. Despite all the excitement of the wedding that would exhaust most couples, they celebrate in their usual fashion that night, when Rick put the boat on auto pilot. Their night is filled with love and joy as they celebrate their first night as man and wife. They awaken that following morning, to begin their first full day as a married couple. Their boat, and their married life, well on course for their destination!
The End,
But Just The Start For Rick and Kate