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In all the years they had all lived in New York, no one, except for Lanie and Alan, of course, had ever been to or seen The Glasshouses, so when they got their first look at it the night before Lanie and Alan's wedding, Kate and Rick were in awe of the place.

Located in Chelsea Arts Tower, the venue boasted magnificent floor to ceiling windows which provided spectacular views of the Hudson River, Downtown and Midtown Manhattan. Lanie and Alan had rented Glasshouses 21, which was 3400 square feet of space and had a balcony that was quite probably the best vantage point in the entire city from which to see the sunset, the Hudson River, and breathtaking views of Downtown and Midtown Manhattan.

The rehearsal had been held at the site of the wedding, attended by the wedding party and parents only, followed by the rehearsal dinner at Tavern on the Green.

Now, at last, Lanie and Alan's wedding day was here, and everyone had gathered at Glasshouses 21 for the ceremony, which was being officiated by Pastor Moore, the senior pastor of Lanie's church.

Alan and Rick were in the area designated for the groom, resplendent in their tailored navy blue double breasted suits with matching vests. Alan wore a white button-down shirt and a solid navy silk necktie. Rick wore the French blue button-down shirt that Kate said brought out his eyes, and a solid navy silk necktie that matched Alan's. Alan was trying to pin his boutonniere, a single white rose backed by deep blue hydrangea that matched the flowers in Lanie's bridal bouquet, to his lapel, but his fingers were shaking too much to do it. "Ouch, I stuck myself!" Alan blurted.

Rick crossed the room and took the boutonniere and the pin from Alan. "I got it," he said. He made short work of pinning Alan's boutonniere to his jacket, making sure, as he had with his own, to pin it to the underside of Alan's lapel so the pin wouldn't show.

Alan looked down at his boutonniere and then up at Rick. "Thanks," he said. He clenched his shaking fingers into loose fists. "Were you this nervous when you and Kate got married?"

"No," Rick said. "Once I was sure I had the rings in my pocket, and I saw Kate standing there with her dad and smiling at me, any nerves I had completely disappeared."

"Speaking of rings," Alan began.

Rick reached into his right jacket pocket and removed Alan's wedding ring for Lanie. "I've got it right here," he said, "and Kate has Lanie's ring for you, which, trust me, she is guarding with her life."

Alan took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. "Thank you for being my best man, Rick," he said earnestly. "I've never had a friend like you."

"I didn't bring my Disney songbook, Alan," Rick replied. Alan burst out laughing at this. Rick didn't think it was that funny, but he chalked it up to Alan's nerves. "Thanks for asking me to be your best man. This isn't something that I've ever done before. Comes from not having too many guy friends, I guess. Well, not having too many real friends, period, until Kate came into my life. Except for Alexis and Mother, she brought the rest of my family with her."

"Lanie did the same for me," Alan said. "I mean, I love my family, and they love me, but they live halfway across the country, so we don't see each other in person too often. And I have a couple of work friends, but work friends and friend friends are different. And you're the first real friend friend I've had in a long time. Thanks for standing up for me."

A knock came at the door then. "Come in," Alan said.

"Unless you're Lanie, because I don't want to face the wrath of her mother," Rick added. Although Mrs. Parish wasn't entirely happy that Lanie hadn't incorporated much of anything she (Mrs. Parish) wanted into the wedding, she was still relishing her role as the mother of the bride.

The door opened, and Kevin Ryan poked his head into the room. "It's just me, guys," he said. "Just got a text from Beckett asking me to tell you guys that we're ready to start, and you're supposed to get out there first, so once you're standing up front with the minister, I can let her know that it's showtime."

"Thanks, Ryan," Rick said. He clapped a hand on Alan's shoulder. "You ready?"

"I was born ready," Alan replied.

"Really?" Rick asked.

"No, not really, I've just always wanted to say that," Alan admitted. "But I am definitely ready to marry Lanie."

Kevin opened the door all the way, and Alan and Rick walked to the raised platform in front of the doors leading to the balcony, where Pastor Moore was standing. Kevin returned to his seat next to Jenny and pulled out his phone to send Beckett a text to let her know they were ready to begin.

When Kate's phone binged with an incoming text message, she picked it up from the table and read the message before tucking it into her small clutch bag, which she would be leaving in the room where she and Lanie had gotten ready until it was time for the reception. "That was Kevin. Alan and Rick are out front with Pastor Moore, so we're ready to begin." She picked up Lanie's round bouquet of white roses and deep blue hydrangeas and handed it to her. "Okay," Kate said, "your pearl necklace from Alan is your something new, the hydrangeas in your bouquet are your something blue, my earrings are your something borrowed, and the penny in your shoe is your something old." The penny in Lanie's shoe had been her mother's idea, and Lanie was just nervous enough that she gave in without a single objection when her mother made the suggestion.

Kate picked up her own bouquet, the white roses and deep blue hydrangea matching both Lanie's bouquet and Alan and Rick's boutonnieres, although Lanie's bouquet was much larger; Kate carried a simple nosegay, the same size as the bouquet she had carried at her own wedding, the only difference being the flowers.

"You have the ring, right?" Lanie asked anxiously.

Kate held her up her bouquet, revealing Alan's wedding ring carefully tied to one of the small blue ribbons attached to the bottom of the bouquet. "I've got it," she said. "You're going to take Alan's breath away, Lanie."

Lanie's wedding dress was simple but elegant, an A-line v-neck white satin knee length dress with sleeves made of white lace, which also overlaid the bodice. A white satin ribbon sash was at her waist, and the dress had a simple zipper in the back. Her hair was down, loose, and a crown of baby white rosebuds and deep blue hydrangea matching her bouquet was perched on top of her head. White three-inch heels edged in gold completed Lanie's bridal ensemble.

Kate's matron of honor dress was knee length, like Lanie's, but there the similarities ended. Her dress was the same shade of blue as Rick's and Alan's neckties, but was made of mesh fabric and had spaghetti straps and a zipper in the back. Her low heels had been dyed to match her dress.

"Part of me still can't believe I'm actually getting married," Lanie said. "Were you nervous when you and Castle got married?"

"No," Kate said. "I felt like I'd been waiting all my life for that moment, and when it arrived, when I was standing there holding my dad's arm and looking at Rick, I knew that I was about to do the most right thing I've ever done." She paused. "Are you nervous? Or having cold feet?"

"No," Lanie assured Kate. "I'm...well, I'm amazed. Amazed that I love Alan so much, and that he loves me so much, and that we're about to get married." Lanie beamed at Kate, lit from within by her love for Alan. "Seeing you and Castle all these years, watching you finally get it right, and fight for each other, and really make a life together… I've learned a lot about marriage from you two. Part of me never thought I'd do this."

"I remember that feeling," Kate said.

"Well, this feeling is a whole lot better," Lanie said.

"Yes, it is," Kate agreed. She and Lanie hugged then, carefully, so as not to wrinkle their dresses or smudge their makeup.

Lanie's mother and father entered the room then, Lanie's father also in a navy blue suit, minus the vest, and a boutonniere of white roses and deep blue hydrangeas, and with a navy blue-and-white striped necktie. Her mother, in a sky blue dress (Alan's mother wore royal blue), with a corsage of white roses and blue delphiniums pinned to her dress, smiled sincerely. "You look beautiful," she told her daughter.

"Thank you, Mama," Lanie replied. "So do you."

The strains of Canon in D Major being played on an acoustic guitar reached them then. "Oh, that's my cue!" Melinda Parish exclaimed. She and Alan's mother Sue and sister Liz would be seated to this music. Melinda carefully hugged Lanie so as not to wrinkle her dress or smudge her makeup. "I love you, Lanie," she said as she drew back. "Even though this is not the kind of wedding I would have chosen for you, well...it wasn't my decision to make. And Alan is a wonderful young man who loves you very much. I'm very happy for you and proud of you."

"Thank you, Mama. I love you too," Lanie said.

Out front, Alan tried not to fidget as Chad escorted Alan's mother down the aisle to sit between Dave and Liz, whom he had already escorted down the aisle. Chad then went back and escorted Lanie's mother to sit between the empty chair where Walter Parish would sit after walking Lanie down the aisle and Lanie's Aunt Holly, Melinda's sister.

Kate stood at the door watching as the mothers were escorted down the aisle and seated, and then Chad took his seat next to Liz. The music changed then, to Clarke's Trumpet Voluntary, also on the acoustic guitar. "It's our turn," Kate said, turning away from the door to meet Lanie's eager gaze. "You ready?"

"Yes," Lanie said, her face shining with her joy and her love for Alan. "Let's go get me married."

Lanie and Walter followed Kate out of the room, and everyone turned to watch Kate process down the aisle. Rick only had eyes for her, and they exchanged a smile, and Kate winked at her husband, making his grin widen. Alan was watching anxiously for his first glimpse of his bride, and as soon as Kate stepped up onto the platform and turned with everyone else to watch as Lanie marched down the aisle on her father's arm, Lanie and Walter appeared at the head of the aisle. The look on Alan's face when he got his first look at her was one of mingled awe, love, and joy.

Upon reaching the platform, Walter let go of Lanie's arm, kissed her on the cheek, then put her hand in Alan's. "Be happy," he said softly.

"We will," Lanie said. "I love you, Daddy." Walter, his eyes brimming with tears, mouthed "Love you too" to Lanie, then went and took his seat next to his wife.

The guests sat down, and the guitarist silenced his instrument. "Dearly beloved," Pastor Moore said, "we are gathered here today to witness and bless the union of Lanie and Alan in holy matrimony. The bride and groom would now like to exchange their own vows."

Lanie handed Kate her bouquet and then turned to face Alan, taking his hands in hers. "I've always had goals, aspirations, things I wanted to do," Lanie began. "But when I met you, Alan, I learned what it was to dream. I learned that it is most definitely possible to have the really important things, like love and trust and companionship. I promise to be your best friend, your love, your navigator, your consoler, and your wife. And most of all, I promise you myself, all of me, for the rest of my life."

Alan squeezed Lanie's hands. "Most people wouldn't consider a two-day period in which they almost died three times one of the best times of their lives, but it's one of the best times of mine, because that was when I met you," he said. "The doctor at the hospital told me I was the luckiest man who ever lived. Of course, she added that I was lucky because I kept on living even after I died. But what made me the luckiest man who ever lived was meeting you.

"I promise to encourage and support you in all ways, to be your best friend, your love, your consoler, and your husband, and to help you shoulder our challenges, because I know there's nothing we can't handle if we stand and face it together. And most of all, I promise you myself, all of me, for the rest of my life."

"Alan, will you have Lanie to be your wedded wife?" Pastor Moore asked then. "Will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, and forsaking all others, be faithful to her for as long as you both shall live?"

"I will," Alan replied. He accepted Lanie's ring from Rick and slipped it onto her finger.

"Lanie, will you have Alan to be your wedded husband? Will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, and forsaking all others, be faithful to him for as long as you both shall live?"

"I will," Lanie replied, taking Alan's ring from Kate and putting it on his left hand.

"Lanie and Alan have declared their consent before God and this company, by the joining of hands, the exchange of vows, and the giving and receiving of rings. By the power vested in me by the state of New York, I pronounce that they are husband and wife. Alan, you may kiss your bride."

Alan and Lanie were both teary-eyed and wearing mile-wide grins as they reached for one another and shared a lingering first kiss as a married couple.

The guitarist played Mendelssohn's Wedding March on his acoustic guitar as Lanie and Alan broke the kiss. Lanie took her bouquet back from Kate, linked her arm through Alan's, and they stepped off the platform and walked up the aisle as the guitarist continued playing and the guests applauded.

When Lanie and Alan were halfway up the aisle, Rick extended his arm to Kate, and she linked her arm through his and they followed Lanie and Alan up the aisle.

The reception started right away, since the reception was also being held at Glasshouses 21. It was the most epic party any of them had been to since the belated wedding reception that had been held at The Old Haunt for Rick and Kate almost a year before.

The guitarist was only for the ceremony. Lanie and Alan had hired a DJ for their reception, and the wedding photographer took what felt like a million pictures in every possible combination. Lanie and Alan were both hugged and fussed over by both sets of parents, each couple welcoming their new in-law to the family, and Liz and Chad happy to have Lanie for a sister-in-law. Lanie and Alan had their first dance to "I Finally Found Someone"-the song they had sung at karaoke at the belated wedding reception everyone had thrown for Kate and Rick last year. Everyone had dinner and wedding cake, and tore up the dance floor, dancing to both fast songs like Earth, Wind and Fire's "September" and slow songs like "Marry Me" by Train. Everyone danced, laughed, ate and drank, and congratulated the newlyweds.

"It was a lovely wedding," Victoria said, shaking Alan's hand and surprising Lanie with a hug.

"Congratulations," Gerald added.

After the Gates' had left the head table to return to the dance floor, Perlmutter tentatively approached, a half-full glass of bourbon in his hand. "Congratulations, Dr. Parish," he said.

"Thank you, Sidney," Lanie replied. "And thank you for coming."

"Well, you know, open bar, no dead bodies..." Perlmutter said with a shrug. He looked at Alan then. "You know what she does for a living, so if you don't treat her right, she has the means to make you suffer greatly."

Alan blinked, then said, "It's a good thing we don't have to worry about that, because I'm always going to treat her right."

"Yes, well, see that you do," Perlmutter said.

"I think that was Perlmutter's way of warning Alan," Rick said, surprised. "I didn't know he had it in him." He and Kate had been standing and talking to Lanie and Alan when Perlmutter approached to offer his congratulations.

"That's because he never really liked you all that much," Lanie retorted, but she softened her retort with a smile.

"I see Perlmutter's headed back to the bar," Javier said as he and Alexis approached, Kevin and Jenny beside them. "What'd you say to him, Castle?"

"Nothing," Rick insisted.

"It was a beautiful wedding," Jenny enthused. She hugged Lanie, then Alan. "Congratluations, you guys."

"May you live as long as you want, and never want as long as you live," Kevin said, hugging Lanie, and shaking Alan's hand. "That's the shortest Irish wedding toast I could find."

"You have gems like that in your pocket and you couldn't help me with my best man toast?" Rick asked.

"You didn't ask me to help," Kevin replied. "Besides, you're a professional writer."

"I'm really happy for both of you," Alexis said. "Congratulations, and I wish you a lifetime of happiness."

"Thank you, Alexis," Lanie said as they hugged, and then Alan shook Alexis's hand.

Javier looked at Lanie. "This kind of happiness looks really good on you," he told her.

Lanie smiled. "Right back at you, Javi," she said, looking from Javier to Alexis.

Javier and Lanie hugged, and then Javier regarded Alan. "Be good to her," he said. "She deserves the best."

"She'll have it," Alan promised. Then he and Javier shook hands.

The DJ then announced that it was time for the karaoke portion of the evening, by special request of the groom.

Kate didn't want to get up and sing in front of everyone, but Rick and Alan brought the house down on their duet of The Proclaimers' "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)," complete with horrible Scottish accents, and really hamming it up by taking the microphones to their table and serenading Kate and Lanie directly.

Not to be outdone, Kevin and Javier teamed up to duet on Daft Punk's "Get Lucky," complete with the dance routine that won them a trophy two years earlier.

Alan's parents sang "I Got You Babe," and Lanie's parents surprised everyone with their rendition of "Solid as a Rock," which they dedicated to the newlyweds. Everyone was surprised to see Lanie's mother so loosened up, especially Lanie. The others declined to sing karaoke, although Alexis and Jenny got into a good-natured debate with Kate and Lanie over whether Javier and Kevin, or Rick and Alan, had done the better job on their song.

Then it was time for Kate and Rick to give their toasts. "Lanie and I have been friends for a long time," Kate said. "And once upon a time, we were married to our careers. And we both pretty much thought that was how it would stay. But happily, we were wrong...although our careers led to both of us meeting our husbands, so maybe it's fitting to say that we're married partly because of our careers.

"In all seriousness, though, I can tell you, Lanie, that it's been my experience that the best feeling in the world is knowing that you have someone who loves you and that you love, someone who knows you better than you know yourself and someone that you know better than they know themselves, and that you will be there for each other through everything life throws at you." Kate raised her glass. "To Lanie and Alan: a lifetime of love, happiness, and perseverance."

"To Lanie and Alan," everyone chorused.

Then it was Rick's turn. "My reputation as a wordsmith precedes me," he began, "but I don't know if I could possibly top what Kate said in her toast, or what Ryan said in the receiving line, so I'm not going to try. I will say, though, that Alan, you have chosen a strong and amazing woman to be your wife. And Lanie, you have a really great guy for a husband. And the two of you and Kate and I will be attending many, many Comic-Cons together in the future, starting with this year's Comic-Con in a few months." Lanie rolled her eyes at this while Alan shot a fist into the air and grinned in triumph.

"Love is truly life's greatest mystery," Rick continued, "and the people who are most blessed are the ones who marry the person they never want to stop learning about and growing with and loving. You are about to embark on the greatest adventure of your lives, and I ask everyone here to raise a glass and join me in wishing Lanie and Alan all the best on their journey."

The music played on, and the couples took turns going out on the balcony to see the city. The DJ announced the last dance of the evening before Lanie and Alan's departure, and Kate and Rick were on the balcony for it, darkness having fallen slowly over the city.

The balcony doors were open and they could hear the song. They had been looking out over the city, Rick standing behind Kate, his arms wrapped around her waist from behind, but she turned into his arms, and then they were slowly swaying to the song, looking into each other's eyes, as the words of the song reached them.

"Nobody knows you the way that I know you

Look in my eyes, I will never desert you

And just say the word, we'll take on the world..."

"I used to think I had to take on the world alone," Kate mused softly. "I'm really glad that's not the case anymore."

"Me too," Rick said, kissing her forehead before resting his cheek against hers as they moved closer together, swaying in the perfect summer night.

"You and I, we were made to thrive

And I am your future, I am your past

Never forget we were built to last..."

"The campaign's really going to kick into high gear now. The primary is coming up fast," Kate said.

"Whatever happens," Rick said, drawing back so he could look at her, "you've got this, Kate, and I've got your back."

Kate smiled the smile she reserved for Rick alone before leaning in to kiss him.

Alexis and Javier interrupted them to let them know that Lanie and Alan were leaving, so Kate and Rick went back inside, the song having ended, to see Lanie and Alan off, along with everyone else.

And when they returned home, with Alexis in tow, and said their good nights to the sleeping Lily and the happy-to-be-called-upon-to-babysit Jim (Martha's latest acting class was putting on a workshop performance of Death of a Salesman), as they got ready for bed, Kate finished washing her face as Rick was flossing. She surprised him by pulling the floss out of his mouth and stretching up to give him a sizzling kiss. When she broke the kiss, she pressed her forehead to his for the space of a few heartbeats, then drew back to look into his eyes once more. "Thanks for taking on the world with me, Rick."

He smiled back and slipped an arm around her waist, pulling her against him. "Always," he replied before dipping his head to return her kiss.