Thank you for your continued enthusiasm and support.

I know I said last week that Alexis and Javier's wedding would be next, but the night before the wedding took on a life of its own, so I followed the muse where it led, and this was the result. I promise, though, their wedding will be the next chapter.


Alexis and Javier's wedding rehearsal went smoothly. It was the first time almost everyone was seeing Lyndhurst Castle, and they were all awed by the majesty of the place.

Maddie had closed Q3 to the public for the night, and Alexis, Javier, Rick, Kate, Lily, Reece, Jake, Martha, Earl, Jim, Kevin, Jenny, Sarah Grace, Nick, and Father Pete were in attendance for the rehearsal dinner. (Lanie, Alan, and Will, and Victoria and Gerald, in addition to most of the 12th Precinct, including but not limited to Karpowski, Vazquez, and LT, as well as Evelyn Montgomery and her and Roy's children Rebecca, Mary, and Evan, Alexis's friend from high school Paige, and Javier's old partner Ike Thornton and his wife Carol and son Tim would be at the wedding the next day.)

The dinner was a fun, relaxed evening, with a lot of great food, conversation, and laughter, and no small amount of attention paid to all the kids. The adults all thought it was cute how Sarah Grace acted like a mother hen towards both Nick and Lily, without bothering to hide her glee at being a flower girl in her Uncle Javi's wedding. Lily couldn't stop talking about all the pretty dresses—she, Kate, Martha, and Alexis had all tried their dresses on together that very afternoon for one last time, just to make sure no last-second alterations would be needed. "Gram cried when she saw Alexis in her dress, and Mommy did too," Lily told her captive audience of adults. "They said they were crying because they were happy, but I don't cry when I'm happy."

"Well, grown-ups are silly like that sometimes, Sweetpea," Rick told Lily, who was seated next to him at the tables they had pushed together. "Sometimes we're just so happy that smiling and laughing and jumping up and down or running around aren't enough, and we have to cry."

Lily considered her father for a moment. "So it's not really crying, it's more like the happy is leaking out of your eyes?" she asked.

"Exactly!" Rick exclaimed. He looked at Lily, passing a hand through her hair, then looked across the table at Alexis, seated next to Esposito, holding his hand on the tabletop. "I remember when you were the little moppet making pithy observations like that," he said wistfully.

"Save something for tomorrow, Dad," Alexis said, only half-joking.

"Oh, I'm absolutely going to cry tomorrow," Rick confirmed.

"Which will hopefully make me a very wealthy man," Kevin muttered.

"You guys are gonna be betting on us until we're all old and gray, aren't you?" Kate asked, amused.

"I didn't bet," Javier said. At the matching stares from Rick and Kate, he amended, "This time."

"Then Kevin bet with Lanie," Kate replied.

"In my defense, it was her idea," Kevin retorted. "And I said you'd keep yourself together until the vows, Castle, because everyone would be focused on Javi and Alexis then and not looking at you."

"Lanie thinks I'll be sobbing as we walk down the aisle, right?" Rick guessed.

"I believe her exact words were 'a Niagara Falls of tears,' but yeah," Kevin confirmed.

"What if he cries through the whole thing?" Alexis asked.

"You really think I'm going to cry through your entire wedding?" Rick asked Alexis, a hand flying to his chest in mock hurt.

"I've known you literally all my life, Dad. I didn't bet either, but that would have been my bet if I had," Alexis replied. "Not sobbing, not calling attention to yourself, but definitely with a choke in your voice and tears in your eyes through the whole ceremony."

"So I'm an emotional man. Sue me," Rick said.

"I'd defend you, Rick," Jim said from his seat, where he was bouncing Reece on his knee. "As both a lawyer and a father."

"You didn't cry at our wedding, Dad," Kate retorted.

"You didn't see me cry at your wedding, Katie, but I did," Jim replied.

Kate looked to Martha, then Alexis. "He did," Martha confirmed.

"He and Gram both did," Alexis said. "I didn't. I was just happy that Dad was finally so happy."

Kate looked at Rick. "How did we not notice our parents crying at our wedding?" Kate asked.

"As soon as you appeared on your dad's arm, Kate, all I could see was you," Rick replied.

"They cried while we were watching you dance," Alexis said.

Madison appeared then. "Is everything to everyone's satisfaction?" she inquired.

"It's perfect, Madison," Alexis answered. "Thank you for everything you've done to help us with our wedding."

"Yes, thank you so much," Javier added.

"Anything for Becks' oldest daughter," Madison replied. "And thank you for inviting Mark and me to the wedding."

Jake started wailing loudly then, and the smell wafting from his diaper provided the reason. "Okay, Jakey, I've got you," Kate said. "Excuse us, everyone. Babe, can you hand me Jake's diaper bag, please?" Rick retrieved Jake's diaper bag from the boys' double stroller, handed it to Kate, and she carried Jake to the ladies' room to change him, Madison trailing after her.

As Kate made quick work of cleaning Jake up and changing him, Madison watched her oldest friend with a smile. "So," she said, "are you gonna cry tomorrow? Alexis is as much your kid as Lily, Reece, and Jake are."

"I'm sure I'll shed some tears, yes," Kate replied, getting Jake dressed again. "That's so much better, isn't it, Jellybean?" she said. Jake gave his mother a drooly grin and babbled his agreement. "Yes, it is." She rained kisses all over Jake's face, then looked at Madison again. "What?" she asked.

"Nothing," Madison replied. "I was just thinking how all of this suits you. Being married to Castle, your little Castle babies, your big Castle getting married tomorrow. I haven't seen you this happy in a long time, Kate. You wear it well."

"I've never been this happy, Maddie," Kate replied. "How are things with you and Ma-"

Mark's name died in Kate's throat when she noticed the diamond ring on the third finger of Madison's left hand. "Madison!" she exclaimed, surprised.

Madison looked puzzled for a few seconds, then realized that Kate must have seen her engagement ring. "I was going to tell you, Kate, I swear I was, but this is Alexis and Javier's weekend."

"When did this happen?" Kate asked.

"A couple of weeks ago," Madison said, beaming. "We picked out the ring together. We want a simple, small wedding. We're thinking New Year's Eve. We'll always have a party to go to on our anniversary if we want to. Do you think you could be my matron of honor on New Year's Eve?"

"Just try and stop me," Kate said. Holding tightly to Jake in one arm, she gave Madison a one-armed hug right there in the ladies' room at Q3. "I'm so happy for you, Mads."

"I never would have met Mark if not for you," Madison replied, hugging Kate back. "Look at us, all grown up and settled down. Who would have thought?"

"The cliché about it happening when you're not looking for it is definitely true," Kate reflected. "I only hope our kids are as blessed as we are."

"I don't think you have anything to worry about on that score with Alexis and Javier. They look at each other like you and Castle look at each other," Madison said.

"I've noticed," Kate replied with a smile.

"And not a word to anyone else. I'm not stealing Alexis's thunder this weekend," Madison said.

"It's just between us until you and Mark are ready to make a formal announcement," Kate promised.

"This is a much better secret for you to keep for me than my dating that junior at Cornell when we were sophomores in high school," Madison said as she and Kate, carrying Jake and his diaper bag, exited the ladies' room.

"If my mother had ever found out I was lying for you about that, I'd still be grounded today," Kate said. Then she and Madison laughed.

"Well, she didn't find out, and neither did your dad or my parents," Madison reminisced. "And then I was so heartbroken when I caught him in bed with that other girl, I thought I'd never get over it. Whoever said sixteen is the best year of your life had to be crazy."

"I remember," Kate replied.

"I don't even remember his name anymore," Madison said. "And I got over him a long time ago. And I'm going to marry Mark at the end of the year. Now he's the guy I'll never get over." She paused. "I guess that's the key, really, isn't it? Marry the guy you can't live without."

"That's part of it," Kate agreed.

They were back in the restaurant proper now, and the party was breaking up, as Reece had conked out on his Grandpa Jim's shoulder, Nick was running circles around the tables, whooping and hollering on a sugar high, and Sarah Grace and Lily were chasing after him, partly from their own sugar consumption, but mostly because they were so excited about being flower girls the next day and had to expend the energy somehow.

"Well, I guess it's time to be getting home," Javier said. Rick's head shot up at that comment. "Relax, Castle. I'm not coming home with you guys. I'm staying at my place tonight." Alexis was staying at the loft.

"I think we can give the betrothed couple a few minutes to have a proper goodbye," Father Pete said then. "After all, it's going to be several hours before they see each other."

Since the Ryans, and Rick and Kate, had multiple kids to wrangle into multiple safety seats and vehicles, and the grandparents and Father Pete were happy to help with all the kids while Javier and Alexis had their moment alone on the sidewalk in front of Q3 on this hot August night.

They walked out of the restaurant hand in hand, and Javier stopped, turned Alexis to face him, and, grinning, said, "Do you realize that tomorrow at this time, you will be Mrs. Alexis Castle-Esposito?"

She grinned back at him, releasing his hand to wind her arms around his neck as his arms wound around her waist. "I do," she replied.

"You should remember that 'I do.' I have a feeling it'll come in handy for the ceremony," Javier said. They just looked at each other, and Javier said, "I can't believe it's finally almost here."

"Are you nervous?" Alexis asked, growing serious now.

Javier shook his head. "Not about the wedding. About what comes after. About being the husband you deserve." He brushed her hair behind her ears. "What about you? Are you nervous?"

"About tomorrow? No. About being a good wife? A little bit, yeah," Alexis admitted. "I've never been a wife before."

"I've never been a husband before," Javier replied.

"There's one thing I do know, though," Alexis said. "I don't want to be anyone's wife but yours."

"We'll have to learn how to be married," Javier agreed, "but we'll do it together."

"Yes, we will," Alexis agreed.

"Besides, I already know you're pretty much gonna win every argument we have," Javier said, grinning again. "That's what I get for marrying a lawyer."

"The making up is fun," Alexis said.

"Definitely," Javier said. He rested his forehead against hers. "I really can't wait for tomorrow, Lex."

"Neither can I," Alexis replied.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but the natives are getting restless." Martha's voice reached them then.

"One more minute, Gram," Alexis said. Javier had ridden to the restaurant with the Ryans, and he was going to go and hang out at their place for a little while before heading home, since he was so wired, he wasn't sure how much sleep he'd get.

"I'll try to keep your father from timing it," Martha said, winking at the couple before walking away from them.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow," Alexis said.

"I'll be the guy looking like the happiest, luckiest guy in the world, because that's what I am," Javier replied.

"I'll be the one in the white gown," Alexis said. She framed his face in her hands. "I love you, Javier."

"I love you too, Alexis," he whispered. The kiss lingered until Rick laid on his car horn, startling them apart. "I'll see you tomorrow," he said.

"I'll see you tomorrow," she repeated. She gave him one more quick kiss before climbing into the Audi. Javier stood on the sidewalk, watching as the Castles drove away, and when they were out of sight, he got into the Ryans' minivan and headed back to their place with them.

Upon arriving at the Ryans', Javier sat in the living room with SportsCenter on low, sipping on a Coke, while Kevin and Jenny got Sarah Grace and Nick settled for the night. When Kevin finally emerged half an hour later, he said, "I'm not sure how much sleep Sarah Grace is going to get tonight, she's so excited about being a flower girl tomorrow. You'd think it was the night before Christmas." He sat down on the couch next to Javi.

Javi hadn't been paying attention to SportsCenter anyway, and he turned the TV off now. "That's what it feels like," he said. "The night before Christmas when I was a kid. All that excitement and anticipation, wishing the clock would move faster."

Kevin smiled. "Good," he said, "because if it didn't feel that way, then I'd have to be trying to get you into the Witness Protection Program right now, because if you even thought about not showing up tomorrow, Beckett and Castle would come after you."

"Nothing's going to keep me away from Alexis," Javi vowed, "not for the rest of my life. I just...I'm a little worried about being a good husband."

"Is that all?" Kevin asked, reclining back on the couch.

"Well, I'm not an old married guy like you," Javi said. "And that's not an age crack. It's just...you and Jenny have been married for eight years, you've got the kids, you've got a life."

"You and Alexis have been together for three years," Kevin pointed out.

"Yeah, but being a husband is different from being a boyfriend or a fiance," Javi said.

"That's true," Kevin agreed. "And there is a learning curve. Don't think there's not. But you're learning how to be married together, and that's what counts." He paused. "Are you looking for advice on how to be a husband?"

"You and Castle are the best husbands I know," Javi replied, "and I can't ask him. So yeah, I'm asking you, Kev. How do I be the best possible husband I can be?"

"Put the toilet seat down. Every time," Kevin said seriously. "If you haven't trained yourself to do it in the last three years, start tomorrow. Because if she falls in at 3 in the morning because you didn't put the seat down before you went to bed, you can have an all-day argument over that one."

"That's your great marriage advice? Put the toilet seat down?" Javi asked incredulously.

"That's one piece of my great marriage advice," Kevin replied. "Listen to her. You don't always have to fix everything for her. Sometimes she just needs you to listen to her. You'll be amazed how much better you can make her feel if all you do is listen. And for God's sake, don't try and fix a problem of hers without talking to her about it first. That's a major pitfall.

"Love her for who she is, but also for who she's not. Yeah, things change gradually when you're married, the longer you're together, and when the kids come along, but just like there are some habits you have that you're never gonna break, she's got habits she'll never break either, and things she'll do that will annoy you. Rest assured, she has her own list of things about you that annoy her. Accept each other's flaws. They're mostly gonna be minor things anyway, like you putting the milk carton back in the fridge with an inch of milk at the bottom and not bringing home any more because technically you're not out of milk, or her wanting seventeen throw pillows on the couch, or the bed.

"As we both learned from watching Beckett and Castle for the better part of four years, talk. Talk about everything. Talk about nothing. Just keep talking. And be honest, no matter how hard it is, how painful, how scary. Sometimes you'll worry about each other. Sometimes you'll worry together. But don't evade the issues, because that's when things start to break down.

"Finally, enjoy the ride. Take it from this old married guy, Javi: it's gonna be amazing."

Javi nodded. "I can do all that," he said. "I already do most of it."

"Then you're ahead of the game," Kevin said, clapping a hand on Javi's shoulder.

"At least I didn't go on a hunger strike before my wedding," Javi said with a ball-busting grin.

"You flaunting that donut in front of me was just cruel!" Kevin retorted. "You knew I'd been on a cleanse for days at that point. I was starving!"

"Yeah, Beckett and Castle and I picked up on that when you started wolfing down all the Chinese food in front of us when we were talking about the case," Javi said.

The friends laughed. Then Kevin grew serious. "Thanks for being my best man," Javi said seriously. "Other than Alexis, there's nobody else I'd want by my side on the happiest, most important day of my life."

"Javi, I'll stand up for you until I drop," Kevin replied. Then they hugged.

At the loft, Alexis had brushed her teeth and finished up the last of her last-minute packing. When there was a tap on her door, she called, "Come in."

Sure enough, it was her dad. "How are you doing, Pumpkin?" he asked.

"Good," Alexis replied. "Excited. Happy. Done packing, finally." She laughed. "Is this gonna be the 'what to expect on the wedding night' talk, Dad?"

Rick swallowed hard, then said, "We already had that talk, years ago."

Alexis sat down on the edge of her bed. "So we did." She paused, then said, "You don't have any new questions for me?"

Rick sat down next to her. "You are so my kid," he said.

"I've always been proud to be your daughter," Alexis replied. "That won't change after I'm married."

"I've always been proud to be your father, and proud of the person you are. That won't change after you're married," Rick said. "And you won't make my mistakes. This is the only wedding you're going to have. I'm glad for that." He looked at Alexis seriously. "I know I haven't always seemed...well...enthusiastic about you and Esposito, but I know he's a good man. He loves you, he's supportive of your goals and plans and dreams, he makes you happy. I couldn't wish anything more for you, Alexis."

She laid her head on her father's shoulder, and they sat in silence for a few minutes. "Dad?" she finally asked, breaking the silence.

"Hmm?" Rick asked.

She lifted her head to look at him, and he turned his head to meet her gaze. "Do you think I'll be a good wife?" she asked. "Not...not in the clichéd sense. But I've never been a wife before. Not that you have. I just...That's the part I'm nervous about."

Rick smiled. "Yes, Alexis," he said. "You're going to be a good wife to Esposito. I'm sure of it. The thing about being married...being married to the right person, anyway...is that everything you had before you got married is still there. It just becomes more."

Now Alexis looked confused. "It becomes more," she repeated.

"Yes," Rick replied. "It becomes deeper. All of it. It carries more weight. You're making the most important promise, the most important commitment, of your life: to share your life with another person. All of it—good and bad, highs and lows. The joy is doubled, and the weight of the burdens is halved, because you're sharing it all with the person you love most in the world. You'll fight, you'll laugh, you'll make mistakes sometimes—and that's both of you—but at the end of the day, you'll come home to each other. When you fight, you'll make up. When you make a mistake, you'll fix it...together, if you can. And please, learn from Kate and me, and say what you need to say when you need to say it. Don't let fear or insecurity rule your life or your marriage.

"Love each other, take care of each other, be good to each other. Talk to each other, even when it's difficult. Listen to each other, and listen not just for what is being said, but for what isn't being said. You do that, you'll have a long and happy marriage, and someday...many, many, many years from now...you'll be sitting with my grandchild the night before her or his wedding, telling her or him these same things."

Alexis smiled at her father. "I love you, Dad," she said, hugging him.

He hugged her back. "I love you too, Alexis," he said thickly.

When she drew back from him, she saw that he had tears in his eyes already. "I really thought I'd be able to hold out at least until it actually was your wedding day," he said, swiping at his eyes with one hand.

Alexis glanced at the alarm clock. "It's 12:02. It's officially my wedding day. I won't say anything to Lanie and Kevin if you don't," she said.

"Deal," Rick agreed. He kissed Alexis's forehead. "You should try to get some sleep."

"I will," Alexis said. "I don't know how successful I'll be-" She was interrupted when her phone chirped with an incoming text message.

Rick smiled wistfully, knowing as well as Alexis did that it was Esposito texting her. It was on the tip of his tongue to tell Alexis not to stay up half the night texting Esposito, but his little girl wasn't so little anymore. She was 26 years old, a law school graduate waiting for the results of her bar exam, and was getting married in a little less than twelve hours. "Good night, Pumpkin," he said.

"Good night, Dad," Alexis said. She leaned in and kissed his cheek before retrieving her phone from the nightstand. Rick looked over his shoulder when he got to the doorway of Alexis's room, seeing her radiant smile as she read the screen of her phone before tapping out a reply to Esposito.

He checked on Lily, who was sleeping peacefully, and then peeked in on Reece and Jake, watching them sleep and remembering when he had watched Alexis sleep in her crib when she was the same age as Reece and Jake currently were.

Kate's arms wrapping around his waist brought him back to the present. "How are you holding up?" she asked softly, her breath tickling his ear and the side of his neck.

"I already had some tears in my eyes," he replied. "I remember when she was this size, Kate. Tonight, it feels like it went by too fast."

One of Kate's hands moved up to rest over his heart—that big, beautiful, sensitive heart of his. "I know it does," she said, "but you raised an amazing woman, Rick. And Javi's a good man. They're going to be happy. Remember the first time we saw them together, at the Christmas tree lot, when we still didn't know the identity of Alexis's secret boyfriend? They looked at each other the way you and I look at each other, babe. And they still look at each other that way."

"They do," Rick admitted.

Kate rested her chin lightly on his shoulder. "I'll have a chat with Lanie sometime before the ceremony, make her promise not to give you a hard time about crying. Besides, you won't be the only one crying tomorrow. Martha's been fretting about her makeup for a week, and I know I'm not gonna make it through tomorrow without a few tears. I haven't been part of Alexis's life as long as you and Martha, but she's the daughter of my heart, and tonight I'm remembering her as the girl with the textbooks at the bar the night you and I met...the girl who asked me about studying abroad...the terrified young woman screaming at me that you and Martha were all she had when you were being held hostage in that bank...how happy and relieved I was when you brought her home from Paris...how she and I have built a relationship in these last eleven years. This wedding is going to be emotional for all of us. I'm still amazed that she asked me to be her matron of honor. She could have asked Paige, or one of her friends from law school, but she asked me."

Rick turned his head to look into Kate's eyes. "She loves you, Kate. You're the mom she waited for all her life. And God knows you helped keep me sane during her teenage years." He paused, then said, "You know, if you and I hadn't met, then I never would have met Esposito either, and he and Alexis wouldn't have become he and Alexis."

"I hadn't thought of it that way," Kate mused.

Reece and Jake both began to stir then, so Kate and Rick stopped talking, waiting anxiously to see if one or both of their sons would awaken. When both boys settled down, they stole quietly out of the nursery, then went to check on Lily, who was sleeping soundly. They passed by Alexis's closed bedroom door, hearing the low murmur of her voice, speaking to Javi on the phone, as they did. They went downstairs quietly, hand in hand, and when they reached their bedroom, Kate stopped and pivoted into Rick's arms. His arms slid around her waist. "I'd do it all over again," she told him seriously. "Every second of it. And I wouldn't even change any of the hurt, or the fights, or the times we were apart and miserable because of it, if it meant we wouldn't end up here, together, where we're supposed to be."

She saw him smile in the dark. "I would too," he replied before he leaned down to kiss her.