Authors Note: Thank you, thank you, thank you! Over 100 reviews for this little story! I'm blown away.

Thanks to alwayscastle2 for the read through.

Hope you all enjoy this chapter.

Reviews are love, leave some!

-Krystle

Chapter 5

"Two hearts one love beating together

I am yours you are mine

Two hearts one love always forever

Standing the test of time"

The reception breaks up around one in the morning. Rick had cars waiting to drive their guests either back to the hotel in town or to their homes in the city. Kate is sitting at the wedding party table, Alexis's head resting on her lap, the young woman fighting sleep, refusing to go up to bed until they do. Martha had already excused herself for the night as well as Jim.

Looking around at the nearly empty back yard, Kate soaks everything in one last time. At one point in her life, marriage never seemed like a possibility let alone finding the missing piece of her heart. Out of habit, she finds him, he's making small talk with the few caterers who have been stuck with the clean up chore, she smiles when he pulls out a stack of bills and tips the three young men generously for being able to put together another meal and come back a day later than they were intended to.

The DJ has already packed up and gone, yet Javi and Lanie are still on the dance floor cheek to cheek. She shakes her head; her two friends are so in love with each other and she wishes that they would just commit to each other instead of dancing around each other. She inwardly laughs at the thought; she and Rick did the same thing.

Absentmindedly, she's running her hand through her step-daughters hair. She's a mother now. Although Alexis is grown, the young Castle knows that she can come to Kate if she needs anything, and that she will only tell her father if she thinks he needs to know, or if she's in danger.

Rick finally walks back over to his bride and daughter and holds his hand out to Alexis, "Come on, Pumpkin, lets get to bed."

Alexis takes her dad's hand and waits while he helps Kate up. He wraps his arm around Alexis, and laces his fingers with Kate's, bringing it up to his lips for a soft kiss. The couple escorts Alexis to her room, and she turns and gives her dad a kiss on the cheek and gives Kate a hug. "I'm happy for you both. Good night."

"Good night, Lexis," Kate smiles, keeping her emotions in check. The relationship between her and Alexis started off easy, and then when she left the city after the shooting hurting Castle in the process, Alexis built her own wall. It took a lot of convincing after she and Castle got together that she was in it for the long haul, that she wouldn't hurt him anymore because she couldn't imagine going through life without him. She tried, and was miserable every minute of everyday.

Castle kisses his daughter on the forehead. "Good night, honey."

CB

Walking into their room at the far end of the house, Rick locks the door behind them. Turning around, he sees Kate, standing in the middle of the room in her wedding gown; and he swears he's never seen anything more beautiful. He walks over to her, and slips his arms around her waist, and pulls her to him.

"Have I told you how beautiful you look today?" he asks, softly kissing her cheek down to her neck.

A happy sigh slips past her lips as she brings her arms up and around his neck. "Technically, no, since it's past midnight."

She can feel him smile against her neck. "Well," he says, as he pulls away to look at her. Brushing a stubborn curl from her face. "I have never seen a bride as beautiful as you. You're glowing, Kate, and I'm so proud to call you my wife."

Her cheeks turn crimson, as she raises up and kisses him softly. "Help me out of this dress, Mr. Castle?"

"Gladly, Mrs. Castle."

CB

They lie there in bed, the room lit by the fire he built, completely spent. Their post coital bliss etched on their faces. She traces random patterns on his chest, as he does the same along her back. The diamond of her rings catch the light from the fire, and she kisses his chest softly.

This is how it's supposed to be. Wrapped in her lovers arms, safe, happy, loved, and content. Everything about this moment, she wants committed to memory. He tugs gently on her hair, kissing her head, just a gentle brush of his lips, "What are you thinking about?"

She kisses his chest once more, "How perfect this is."

"It is pretty perfect, isn't it?"

"It really is," she says, turning in his arms to look down at him. "I don't think I've ever been this happy before. I never thought that I deserved this kind of life; so now that I've got it, I want to savor it."

"You have the rest of your life to savor this, Kate," Rick says, smiling at her. He cups her cheek and pulls her to him for a long, slow kiss. "I'm not going anywhere."

She smiles lovingly at him. "Third times the charm," she whispers.

"Who knows Castle, maybe third times the charm?"

"Could be."

He smiles, coming out of the brief memory. "Third times the charm," he agrees.

CB

The small bullpen hasn't slowed down since the fire was put out and the body was found. Chief Brady has had his hands full; between the press wanting information, and trying to get his Medical Examiner to get the DNA results to him as soon as possible, his stress level is at a ten.

Walking into the morgue, Brady nods his head at his ME. "Do you have my DNA results yet?"

"As a matter of fact," the older man says, "No. Body was too charred for DNA, however, I ran the victim's dental records; our Bar-B-Qued friend's name is Jerald Tyson."

"Tyson?" Brady asks, his eyebrows furrowing. "Why does that sound familiar?"

"I thought it sounded familiar as well," the ME says, "So I ran his name through the system. Guy is a wanted fugitive believed to have been killed last year. Turns out he faked his death, but he wasn't lucky enough to fake his way out of this one."

"What kind of record does he have?"

"Murder," handing the sheet over to Brady. "All of his current case files are coming out of the twelfth precinct in New York City."

When Brady heard 'twelfth precinct' he remembers back to a year before when Castle and his girlfriend were staying at his vacation home. "Thanks, Doc."

CB

The phone ringing on her desk pulls her from her thoughts. "This is Captain Gates."

"Hello, Captain Gates, my name is David Brady, the Chief of police here in the Hampton's."

"What can I do for you, Chief Brady?"

"I'm sure you've heard of the fire we had here yesterday?"

"I did," Gates answers, "There was a body found, the case was ruled a homicide."

"Correct," he says. "Turns out the dental records we got back on the body came back as a positive match for Jerald Tyson. It says here that his recent murders fell into the hands of your Detective Katherine Beckett."

Gates nods, "That would be correct. She had mentioned something about his death being a rouse. Looks like she's right."

"Well, if you could inform her of this," Brady says, "it would be much appreciated."

"As soon as she gets back from her honeymoon, I will deliver the message," Gates says, making a sticky note reminder. "Thank you for your information, Chief."