She sinks into his touch, lets his fingers work out the built up tension in her neck and shoulders. Her eyes slip closed and she swears she hears him laughing at her.

"What?" Kate mumbles, drowsily.

"Do you want to take this into the bedroom?"

She opens one eye and cranes her neck to look at him behind the couch. Castle runs his hands down her arms, bending so his mouth is right at her ear.

"I only ask because your muscles are really tight. You could probably use more than this little shoulder massage."

"You trying to get me naked, Castle?"

He hums, tugging on her arm to get her off of the couch. "If something were to follow this great, amazing back massage I'm about to give you, I wouldn't be opposed."

She nudges him with her elbow as she lets him lead her into the bedroom. "Oh I bet you wouldn't."

He smirks, already tugging at the hem of her shirt.

"So what do you want?" Kate asks, settling down on their bed and letting him talk her shirt the rest of the way off.

"What makes you think I want something from you?" Castle asks, walking to and from the bathroom to get a bottle of massage oil.

"Because the last time you offered to give me a massage like this, you were trying to apologize for choosing video games over me."

He sinks down onto the bed with her, his knees bracketing her thighs. He works some of the oil into his hands to warm it, before he leans forward and starts kneading the knots out of her back.

"Can't a guy just want to do something nice for his fiancé?"

She lets out a little moan as his hands work out a particularly tight spot.

"Spill it, Castle."

He sighs, rubbing just below her shoulder blades. "Mother gave me her guest list for the wedding."

"Okay, and?"

He brings his hands lower, focusing now on the knots in her lower back.

"Well her list, plus my list, plus your list is umm almost 600 people."

Kate pushes herself up and turns to look at him. "600 people?"

He guides her back down, adding more massage oil to his hands. "Hence the massage."

"Castle, are you insane? We can't have 600 people at our wedding! You and Martha didn't have any overlapping names?"

He clears his throat. "Yeah, yes we did…three."

She pushes herself up again. "Three?"

Castle gently pushes on her shoulder and she lies down again. His fingers push into her neck, finding that she's tensed back up.

"Castle –"

"I know, I know. We'll have to take a look at the lists and see who's really important."

"I don't have time to comb through a list of 600 names."

"Well, there are only 100 names on your list, right?"

"So what, because you're this big famous author, the majority of our wedding guests get to come from your list?"

Kate sits up again, draping the blanket at the foot of the bed over her bare chest. Castle reaches out to stroke her face.

"I didn't mean it like that," he tells her.

"Maybe we should start over," she shrugs. "Write down the names of the people who absolutely have to be there."

"Yeah," Castle agrees, nodding. "That sounds good. And we don't ask my mother to make her own list."

"No," Kate smiles, lying back down. "Just you and me."

He resumes his position straddling her to continue rubbing her back.

"When should we have these lists done by?"

She hums and he's not sure if it's because she's thinking or because she enjoys what his hands are doing. Probably both.

"Is tomorrow night too short notice?"

"For the people who are really important?" he asks. "No, should be fine."

Kate rolls onto her back and tugs on his shirt, scraping her nails up the planes of his stomach. "Good. Now why don't we get on with the naked part of this apology?"

He smirks and leans down to kiss her.

"I thought you'd never ask."


Kate resumes her usual perch in Addison's doorway, waiting for her daughter to notice her presence. But the teenager is too enthralled in whatever she's doing on her phone to even look up.

"How was cleaning yesterday?" Kate finally speaks up.

"Cleaning?"

"Your dances?"

"Oh," Addison laughs, putting down her phone. "Tiring. But we're repeat National Champions for a reason."

"So I was thinking," Kate starts, walking into the room and sitting on the edge of her bed. "I've already asked my friend Lanie to be my maid of honor, but I definitely need more bridesmaids. Most of my friends are guys."

"Is this your way of asking me to be a bridesmaid?"

"Actually I was hoping that friend of yours, Jaclyn, would do it."

Addison rolls her eyes and chucks a pillow at her. Kate catches it before it hits her face and starts laughing.

"Want to come look at bridesmaids dresses with me today? You can be my model."

"Sure. But keep in mind not all of your bridesmaids are 14."

Kate laughs again. "I'm well aware, thank you."

"Do you already have your dress?"

"Yeah, I…I have two actually."

"How do you have two?" Addison asks, sliding off her bed to search for shoes.

"Well, originally I thought I was going to wear my mother's dress, but uh this friend in fashion gave me this really beautiful, elaborate dress as a wedding present. I was sort of hoping once I picked out the bridesmaids dresses I would have a better idea of which one I want to wear."

"Has Castle seen either of them?"

Kate shakes her head.

"Well," Addison starts, tying the laces on her Nikes. "If you want my help today, you should probably model the dresses for me so I know what we're working with."

Kate smirks. "I'll go get them. I keep them in Martha's room in case Castle decides to go snooping."

A couple minutes later, she walks back in wearing the high fashion dress.

"Wow," Addison says, taking in the appearance of the dress. "I take it this one wasn't your mother's."

Kate laughs. "No, definitely not."

The girl circles her, looking at the dress from all angles. "I love the silver detailing, but it kind of weirds me out that it isn't a full tulle skirt."

"It weirds you out?"

"I'm just saying I would like the dress better if the skirt actually completed in the front."

Kate raises an eyebrow at her.

She just shrugs. "I watch a lot of Project Runway. So sue me."

"I'll go put the other one on," Kate laughs, shaking her head.

She comes back in wearing her mother's dress. Addison circles her again, tapping her index finger to her chin.

"Your mom…my grandmother had good taste."

The word catches Kate off guard. She's never thought of her mother in that context before, as a grandmother. Let alone she's never heard Addison refer to any of her biological relatives in that manner. She's still "Kate" to her and her dad is still "Jim."

"Yeah, she did," Kate agrees, running her hands over the lace on the bodice.

"Then that's it," Addison says. "This is your dress."

Kate catches her reflection in the mirror on Addison's vanity. This is real. She's getting married. She and Castle are getting married.

"You're going to make a beautiful bride," Addison says, hugging her from the side. "Mom."


Kate curls up on the couch with her list and watches as Castle walks in from the kitchen carrying two glasses of red wine. He hands one to her and she inhales the scent before taking a small sip.

"Successful shopping day?" he asks, sitting down beside her.

"Very," she says, placing her glass on the coffee table. "Addie and I picked out the bridesmaids dresses and found her some shoes to go with the dress."

"Well I'm sure you all will look absolutely stunning."

She smiles and leans in to kiss him. She leaves her forehead pressed against his for a second before she reluctantly pulls away.

"Oh and she called me 'mom' today."

His face lights up. "She did?"

Kate grins even wider. "I was modeling my mother's wedding dress for her and it just sort of happened."

"Wow. Did you cry?"

She throws him 'the look' and bats his arm.

"Did you want to?"

She sighs, picking her wine glass up again. "Maybe a little."

"You big softie," Castle teases, nudging her.

"Yeah, yeah."

"This is huge, Kate. It means she finally feels at home here with you."

"With us," she corrects. "But I know. I thought it would take her longer than this to start calling me that, if she ever did. She had a mom for 14 years who loved her very much."

"Yeah well, you're her mom too. And you guys have really bonded."

"It sounds to me like you two get along pretty well too."

Castle smiles, shrugging a little. "We have our moments."

"Anyway," Kate starts, picking up her piece of paper, "let's see your list."

"Funny thing actually, when I sat down to write it, the only person I could come up with that absolutely has to be there is you."

She smiles, unfolding her little piece of notebook paper. "You" is the only thing written on it. "My thoughts exactly."

He leans in to kiss her and she snuggles into his side.

"Does this mean we're eloping?" Castle asks.

"Not quite. I think we've already invested too much to decide to elope now."

"Good point."

"Okay so how about this," she starts, toying with the collar of his shirt. "Our precinct family has to be there, and our close family has to be there."

"Doesn't that just make up our wedding party?"

"Gates isn't one of my bridesmaids. Neither is Jenny."

"Great so, that's two people."

Kate laughs, pulling his arms tighter around her. "We'll figure it out, babe. We always do."