Sincere apologies for how long this took. I hate it when real life interferes with my Castle obsession. Thanks for hanging in there.

Characters are not mine.

Kate was laughing as she and Alexis were coming out of the school building. Alexis went to grab her hand and saw the ring. She spun around and looked at Kate.

"He gave it to you."

"He did."

"Did you say 'yes'?"

"I did."

"Did he cry?"

Kate rolled her eyes. "That would be me, like a baby. He handled it better than I did."

"Oh my God, "I'm so happy for you guys." She pulled her into a hug. "You have to tell me everything" She looked at Kate's wide eyes. "Well maybe not everything."

"I will, I promise, but right now we have to tell my dad and I thought we'd see what my mom's wedding dress looks like. And there's a few of my old prom dresses that you might like, if you want, if you hate them it's okay and we can still go shopping."

Alexis had a ridiculous grin on her face. "I can't wait to see them; does Dad know that's what we're doing?"

"Of course not."

Rick smiled as he watched the two of them from the car. Alexis climbed into the back seat, reached up, and gave him a hug.

When they got to Jim's they could see Jack jumping in the window. Jim let him out the front door and Alexis ran up to the little Jack Russell, picked him up, and hugged him. Jim let them all in, hugging Alexis and shaking hands with Rick and then pulled his daughter into a big bear hug.

"So, what's this impromptu visit all about?"

"I have to have a reason to visit my father?"

"With your boyfriend and his daughter in the middle of the week. Yes." He smiled and said, "So, did you have a nice Valentine's Day?"

She grinned. "You know I did."

He pulled her left hand from around his neck and checked out the ring. Rick and Alexis watched from the other side of the room. Alexis leaned back into her father and Rick wrapped his arms around her. The dog having squirmed his way out of her arms as soon as they got into the house.

Jim sucked in his breath when he saw the ring; he looked over at Rick and smiled. His eyes misted up and he hugged his daughter tight. "He's a good man, Katie."

She looked over at Rick and then back at her father. "I know, Daddy, I know."

"It's still in your closet."

She rolled her eyes and smiled. She shook her head and then hugged him tight again. He rocked back and forth with her like that for a few moments and then pushed her away. "So when's the big day?"

"Soon." She looked over at Rick.

Her father arched an eyebrow and said, "Any reason you're rushing this?"

She smiled and said, "No." She grabbed Alexis' hand and headed upstairs to her old bedroom.

Rick stopped her and Kate leaned in, gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, and whispered into his ear, "I'll take care of you in a few minutes."

"Did you forget why we're here?"

"Of course not, Alexis and I are going to check out some of my old dresses."

"Kate, you have something you need to discuss with your father."

"Oh….really?...hmmmmm I can't remember what it is." She glared at him suggesting that he keep his mouth shut. "I'm sure you can handle a little visit with my dad while we go look at dresses." She scooted up the stairs with Alexis in tow.

"What's she up to, Rick?"

"Um…I don't believe I'm at liberty to discuss that with you. Sir."

"Oh, I see. So I have to play the guessing game and even if I guess right you aren't allowed to tell me if I'm close."

"That would be correct. Sir."

"Okay, so she's obviously getting her mother's wedding dress and she wants to get married soon, and if I know Katie like I know Katie she doesn't want to make a scene so she's planning on eloping." He never stopped looking at Rick. "Isn't it amazing how well we know our daughters?"

"Yes, sir."

"As a father yourself though I can trust you are not going to let her do this, right Rick?"

He looked up the stairs and then back at Jim. "I've suggested strongly that we have something very small with immediate family only."

"And?"

"Well, as you said, Sir, you know Katie."

"She's going to do as she damn well pleases. Well, Rick good luck with this, I'll tell you right now though, one dad to another, I'm going to be very and I mean very upset with you if you can't sway her on this."

"You do know she carries a gun?"

Jim chuckled, and went over and gave him a hearty pat on the back. "Consider it your Jim Beckett hazing."

"Great….just great."

Kate opened the door to her bedroom and they walked in. Alexis felt like she was opening Pandora's Box. The room was bright and sparse, a double bed, maple dresser and a desk. The walls were a pale dusky blue with a few pieces of art on the walls. There was a window seat with a bench done in denim and the entire wall surrounding it was bookshelves. The curtains were white and breezy and the quilt was shades of blue and looked handmade.

Alexis continued to take in the room while Kate poked around in the back of her walk in closet, when she came out she saw Alexis looking at photos on her desk.

Kate tossed an armload of dresses on the bed, walked over to Alexis; she was holding a photo of Kate and her parents and a cute guy with black spiky hair and a nose ring. "Oooh Senior prom."

"He's kind of cute."

"Yeah, I think he's in prison now."

Alexis looked shocked. "Really?"

"Yeah, he was from my wilder days."

Alexis looked around the room. "This doesn't look like the room of a wild child."

Kate chuckled. "No, my dad redid the room after I left home. I don't have too many relatives but when they come to visit they wouldn't stay here with the black walls and psychedelic colors and funky art. I pretty much destroyed the place."

"I hope I get to hear all those stories of your wild days."

"Hah…..you're father would shoot me."

"Well, we just won't tell him."

Kate smiled in mock shock. "Alexis!"

She rolled her eyes in response and laughed at Kate's antics as she started to go through the dresses on the bed.

"Why don't you look through those and see if there's anything you like, I won't blame you if you don't, they're pretty hideous…I don't know what I was thinking."

Alexis sorted through the dresses; some she immediately tossed aside giggling at the colors and style, but she did find one that was light green, tea length, and gauzy. She was pulling off her school sweater so she could try it on when Kate came out of the closet with what she assumed was her mother's wedding gown, still in a garment bag. Her eyes were misty. She tossed it on the bed and sat down in the window seat. "You know what Lex, I don't know if this is such a good idea after all."

Alexis stopped still. She swallowed and softly said, "What isn't a good idea, Kate?" She sat on the window seat with her and took her hand. "Marrying my dad, or wearing your mom's dress?"

Kate looked at her briefly with a furrowed brow. "I guess it's all just a little overwhelming." She looked at the dress still in Alexis' arms. "That will look gorgeous on you. I have a scarf that will work as a wrap that will look great with it. Do you want to try it on?"

They were interrupted by a call up the stairs. "Hey, Lexi Lou, Jack needs a walk, you coming or what? We have to walk right by the ice cream parlor."

Kate smiled and pushed Alexis. "Go. Make an old man happy." She squeezed her hand and sent her off.

"Will you be okay?"

"Yeah, thanks Lex."

Jim held the door open for her at the bottom of the stairs. She looked over at her father on the couch, looked upstairs, then back to him, and nodded her head towards the stairs.

Rick nodded his understanding and said, "Hey, make sure you bring some back for us." He watched them go down the drive and then ascended the stairs. He saw her sitting in the window, one leg up with her chin resting on her knee. He sat behind her and wrapped his arms around her, she leaned into him, and they watched her father and his daughter laughing at Jack as he tried to chase a neighbor's cat while still on his leash.

He placed a kiss on the top of her head. "You okay?"

She sighed. "I wanted to wear my mom's wedding dress. I got a little overwhelmed once I saw it. I started thinking about how upset my dad would be and Lanie and everything else." She sighed again and he tightened his arms tighter around her.

"Well, maybe you just need a little more time to process it all; I'm not going anywhere, Kate. When you are ready, we'll do it, on your terms. I'll keep the press away as best I can." He kissed her neck. "And your father is on to you, by the way. I'm out before I'm in if I can't sway your decision."

She chuckled, turned her head, and kissed him. "Don't tell me you're afraid of my dad? He's a pussycat."

He was pulling her sweater down off her shoulder and kissing her again. "More like a mountain lion."

She giggled into his kisses. "Did you come up here to collect on your quickie?"

He chuckled. "Are you trying to get me killed before we even get married?"

"They'll be gone for awhile, we have plenty of time." She turned so she could wrap her legs around his waist, her hands worked on the buttons of his shirt.

"I feel like I'm back in high school."

"Well, I hope you have condoms in your wallet Mr. Class clown, cause there sure aren't any up here."

"I never leave home without them."

She smiled as she pushed him back onto the window seat, nearly toppling them both over the edge.

"This is not going to work, Kate."

"You're probably right, not to mention we're sitting in a window in the middle of suburbia." She crawled off him and took his hand, using the other to pull down the shades. She took the garment bag with her mother's dress, draped it over the desk chair, and tossed the rest of the dresses onto the window seat. In one swift move she pulled the quilt down, pushed him onto the bed, and started to undo the button on his jeans.

"Jeez, Kate, you weren't kidding about a quickie."

"What's a matter, Rick need some more…."

"No, I don't." He kicked off his shoes and pulled her sweater over her head and undid her bra, she hopped off the bed and laughed at his stricken face.

"I'm just locking the door, it doesn't close tight, and if Jack comes up he'll push it open."

He continued removing his clothes and was now standing in just his boxers. "I thought you said we had plenty of time."

She was in front of him sliding down her own pants. "Well, just in case I get carried away." She dragged her tongue along the edge of his boxers and then pulled them down with her teeth. He pulled her back up and she grinned. "You know how I can get."

He took in a deep breath as her hands worked their way below his waist. "Yes, Kate, I do know how you can get."

He gently pushed her onto the bed. "This is a very small bed."

She kissed him hard and wrapped her legs around his waist. "And you are a very big man." She flipped him over onto his back.

"I'm a very dead man if you don't let me get to the task at hand."

"I'm just savoring the moment; I've never done this here." She sat up on top of him and slowly dragged her fingers along his ribs sending shivers up his spine.

"You've been teasing me all day." He tried to grab her hands and pull her towards him. "You are driving me out of my mind, woman."

She laughed aloud as she ground her hips on top of him and stifled his groan with a kiss, and then whispered into his ear, "Payback's a bitch huh?"

Given all the sneak peeks and hoopla over the finale I thought we could use something light and fluffy. Hope you enjoy ;o)