Once again, I apologize for the amount of time it took to update this story. I would like to thank all my good friends in chat for their suggestions to keep this story going. Beeeg hugs to all of you.
Disclaimer: No characters are not mine.
They had spent the afternoon with her dad and Alexis, looking at old pictures, eating take out and avoiding the subject of the impending wedding. After dropping Alexis off with friends, they headed to the Old Haunt to meet up with the gang from the twelfth and let them in on their news.
They walked into the Old Haunt and went to the bar to order drinks. Rick started talking to the bartender, and a moment later Esposito came up beside her. She reached for her drink and he slipped his hand under hers, looked at her, and smiled.
She squeezed his hand, bit her bottom lip, and looked at him. "Hey."
"Is this why we're here tonight?" He said as he looked down at the ring.
She nodded.
He kissed her on the cheek and said, "I'm really happy for you."
She smiled and leaned in to him as he placed his arm around her. "Thank you. You do realize though that Lanie is going to be very upset that you found out before she did."
"Don't you worry about Lanie; I'll take care of mi chica."
Rick walked over to the table where Ryan and Jenny were sitting and Lanie came up to him. "So, Castle, why is my boy getting all cozy with your girl over there? Something you want to share with the class?"
He looked at her with raised eyebrows. "No?"
"Is he lookin' at what I think he's lookin' at."
"Maybe?"
"Damn." She pulled him into a big bear hug.
He hugged her back and asked, "So how much did you lose?"
"It's not how much it's what."
"Oh."
"And, no I am not telling you. So when is the big day?"
"Not sure, I just barely talked her out of eloping and not letting any of you know until it was all over."
"Good man, Castle, she always said she was going to elope. Especially after all the fussin' that went on with Ryan's wedding. Me, I want the whole shebang, bring it on."
"Not really Kate's style."
"No, you're right, I'm happy for you. She deserves it."
"That she does, I just hope I don't disappoint her."
"You are one very dead man if you do, you know that don't you?"
"I, do Lanie, yes I do."
Kate and Esposito walked over to the table and Lanie gave her a big hug and said, "We won't discuss the fact that he found out before I did."
"It wasn't planned that way, honestly Lanie."
"No, I heard Castle here talked you out of eloping."
"He thinks he did."
"Girlfriend, you do not want to know how pissed I will be if you get married without me. So when do we go dress shopping?"
"Yeah, about that." They walked over to the table with Ryan and Jenny and spent the rest of the evening celebrating and listening to all sorts of suggestions for wedding plans that Kate had no intentions of implementing.
A week later Castle walked into the bullpen. Kate was sitting at her desk and he handed her a coffee and a pastry bag containing a white chocolate raspberry scone.
"You must want something."
"Why would you say that? I can't bring my fiancé breakfast?"
She smiled and moved slightly closer. "Considering you brought me breakfast in bed just a few hours ago."
"Ah, yes, my memory was slightly clouded from the after breakfast activities."
She blushed and turned back to her scone. "Spill, Castle."
He looked over at her and said, "I know you don't want to deal with the details of the wedding, but there are a few things I thought you should have some input on."
"I don't think we need to have that conversation here or now."
"Well, you seem to find a way to distract me any other time I've brought it up."
She tried not to smile. This was true. She had managed to avoid discussing it by using distraction. "Fine, I'll give you a few minutes." Without looking away from her computer, she asked. "What details?"
"Reception hall?"
"The Old Haunt."
"Seriously?"
She continued to type. "Seriously."
"Um, Kate?"
She glared at him shooting daggers with her stare. "The. Old. Haunt. Next question."
"Right, we need to do a cake testing, soon, very soon."
"No."
"Kate."
"Chocolate ice cream."
"But don't you want…"
"No."
"Just ...?"
"Yes."
"What color are the bridesmaid's dresses?"
She looked at him as if he had three heads. "I have no idea, ask Lanie."
This was going to be harder than he thought.
"How about food?"
"Whatever they serve at the Old Haunt is fine."
"But they only serve appetizers."
"That works for me."
"We can't expect to feed our guest appetizers."
"And ice cream and drinks. They'll live. Any more questions?"
"How about a honeymoon?"
"You mean like where?"
"Well, that and how much time can you take off?"
She sat back in her chair to contemplate this. "How long can you leave Alexis with your mother?"
He swallowed and leaned forward. "Realistically? A few hours."
She chuckled. "Then that will be fine."
"However she is going to Stanford for a summer program for six weeks."
"With Ashley?"
"I didn't ask."
"Good boy, I'm proud of you. She'll be fine. "
"I'm counting on you to keep me distracted."
"I can do that." She smiled and reached over to squeeze his hand. "I'll take two weeks off."
"You will?"
"Yes, I only have one week of vacation time left though so the other week will be without pay." She turned back to her computer and grinned. "You may get stuck paying some of my bills."
He had a ridiculously silly grin on his face as he reached into his wallet and pulled out a credit card and handed it to her. "All yours, you can't max it out, buy whatever you want. All of it Kate, it's yours."
"Wow, Castle you must really like me, you're giving me your credit card before we even get married." She rolled her eyes but didn't reach to take the card. "I was kidding, Rick."
"I'm not."
"I'm not taking your credit card. I have my own money. However if I get in a bind, I'll know who to call."
He put it back in his wallet. "You continue to amaze me every day."
"Go make wedding plans before I insist we elope. I really need to get this paperwork done."
"I'm not done yet, what about invitations?"
"Castle, the only people that we are inviting to the wedding are in it."
"What about the reception?"
"I don't care who comes to the reception."
"I think there are people from the precinct who might like to be there."
"So put up a notice."
"Kate."
"Rick."
He sighed. "Okay how about flowers?"
She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose."
"I'm sorry, we'll do this later." He started to leave and she grabbed his shirtsleeve.
"Daisies and roses from my mom's flower garden in the back yard." She stood up and turned her computer off. She wrapped her hand around his arm and led him out of the precinct.
"Where are we going?"
She kept walking, ignoring the looks they were getting from the other officers. Once they were in the elevator, he looked over at her.
"Are you mad at me?"
"No."
"Are you annoyed with me?"
"No."
"I don't believe you. Where are we going?"
"I need chocolate."
"Well we could go have some chocolate cake at…."
"Shut up, Castle."
"Right."
She tugged him along with her as they left the precinct; she pulled out her cell and typed out a rather lengthy message and then turned it off and put it back in her pocket.
"Kate, what are you up to?"
"What makes you think I am up to something?"
"I know you, and you are most definitely up to something."
"Focus Castle, I need chocolate, now." They walked towards the park and stopped at an ice cream vendor and she asked for two rocky road cones. When Castle was done paying for them she handed his to him. His phone started to buzz in his pocket and she stopped short and put her hand on his chest.
"Give it to me, Castle."
He started to hand her his cone and she rolled her eyes and reached into his jeans pocket to pull out the phone.
"Kate, what the he…."
She smiled slyly and slowly pulled the phone out of his pocket, it trilled again with another message and then another, she looked at the messages, quickly turning around and around to avoid Castle from seeing them. Once she saw the one from her father and Alexis she sent a quick reply, turned off the phone, and slid it into her own pocket.
She walked ahead of him.
He pulled on her shirt and she kept walking. "Katherine Beckett!"
She threw her head back, chuckled, and walked a little faster.
He ran and caught up to her, standing in front of her. "Phone, now. What if my daughter needs me?"
"She's fine Castle, don't be such a drama queen."
"Are you doing what I think you are doing? Because if you are...I will not participate...I hope you know I am dead serious about this. I'll leave you stranded."
Not taking her eyes off his, she licked her ice cream. "No you won't."
He pulled the ice cream out of her mouth to stop her distracting maneuver.
She smiled and leaned in to him and traced his lips with her tongue, she relinquished the cone to him and placed her arms around his neck and kissed him, soft sweet kisses at first and then deepened the kiss, eliciting a groan from Castle as he pulled away.
He handed her cone back to her and traced his finger along her jaw. "I know what you are trying to do Kate and I won't be swayed. I won't."
He kissed her on the forehead and Kate smiled and whispered into his ear, "Well, where's the fun in that?"
A/N: Okay, I am seriously thinking there will only be one more chapter to this story. This isn't exactly a stellar chapter but I have been working on it for at least six weeks and I'm afraid this is as good as it is going to get. Real life has slowed down some but is still rather crazy. Thank you all so much for sticking with this story.