Chapter Twelve: An Arch of Swords
It took a week to get to get the orders cut for Rick's promotion which was something of a miracle considering the army's beauocracy but also a testimony of how badly the army wanted the public relations coup Rick's reenlistment would provide. Rick signed his contract in New York City but the promotion ceremony was held at West Point. It was a full blown media event.
There were photographs of the promotion order being read, of Kate and Martha putting his new rank insignia in place and of the West Point commandant shaking his hand, among others. Both the New York Times and the Army Times carried similar headlines. Decorated celebrity author reenlists in the army. Rick Castle stays in the army. West Point gains an author. Of course the sleaze papers were there too. One of them published a photo of Lisa in Johanna's arms reaching out to Rick with the caption: Rick Castle's love child? Rick was furious and wanted to find the sleaze ball but obviously couldn't. Johanna calmed him down.
"Don't worry about it Rick. Anybody who matters knows the truth and why should you care about the opinion of the kind of people who buy and read these rags, much less those who believe what they say. They've got a room temperature IQ." Rick hugged Johanna and laughed.
The next morning Rick received a call from the commandant. "I know that your leave is over shortly, Major and that your wedding is in June. I'm afraid that your fiancée and her mother will have to handle the planning without your input. We need you here at the point for orientation; your honeymoon will have to wait for a bit as you'll be teaching during the summer."
When Kate got home that evening Rick told her what the commandant had said, expecting disappointment. Kate surprised him. She gently took his hands in hers and smiling, said;
"Babe Sure I want a honeymoon but it can wait until next year. The only thing that really matters is being with you. It's what I've wanted most of my life and now I have it. As for the wedding planning the groom has very little to do with that and since we have the venues and my friend Maddie will be handling the catering the rest of the planning will not be difficult. My one conflict is my Dress. You know about the arrangement I have with Liz to make it, free of charge if I allow her to use it in her advertising with me as the model and she'll even pay modeling fees for subsequent shoots. Nat will probably wear my mother's dress when her turn comes."
After a long talk with Johanna they decided to go with the Liz Ravenscroft option. Johanna said; "Kate how many women get a chance to have their wedding dress made by a world famous designer and then get to model it for the world to see? If Nat wears my dress it will be enough that one of my daughters does. You can wear the diamond necklace that your grandmother gave to me on my wedding day that you will someday give to Lisa. Besides she offered to make the bridesmaid dresses for the same deal."
Two days later Kate, Lanie, Gabby, Natalie and Jenny met with Liz Ravenscroft to design the dresses. It didn't take as long as Kate expected. Liz's expert eye and having made Kate's premier dress Liz already had in mind what she wanted to create, something that was both traditional and cutting edge at the same time. Kate's dress would be made of the purest white silk with an ivory Irish lace overly over the back around to the edges of the bodice covering the narrow straps on shoulders and covering the skirt. The bodice was form fitting with a sweetheart neckline with Liz Ravenscroft signature sweep of crystals from the waist on the left side up to just under her right breast and smaller sweeps of seed pearls followed the crystals and were dotted throughout the lace. The full floor length skirt had a slit in the front to mid –thigh, enough to show off her gorgeous legs without being immodest.
The bridesmaid dresses followed a similar pattern but without the lace overlay or the pearls and the skirts were a little less full. The dresses were dark blue and the crystals gold following the wedding colors of blue and gold.
Liz promised that she would put her best people on it and the dresses would be ready for final fitting in two weeks and then they would shoot the pictures for the catalog. Rick was waiting for her when she got home and they went over the dress designs on a copy of the computer generated pictures of the dresses. Lisa woke up from her afternoon nap and snuggled between them on the couch, enthralled by the pictures. Of course when she got bored with the pictures she asked for a story. Rick ordered dinner for them, not wanting Kate to have to cook that night. Later as they got ready for bed, Rick told Kate about the call from West Point.
"Sweetheart, my leave is over Sunday night. Monday I have to report to the point for orientation. I'll have to spend most of the week up there and I won't be able to come home until late Friday or Saturday morning. But after that I will be able to commute back and forth every day."
Kate smiled at Rick and said;
"Babe we were apart for ten years but now we're together and a few days apart won't matter but I've given things a lot of thought and I've come to a conclusion. I've always wanted to be a lawyer and I achieved that. I haven't always wanted to be an ADA. I did that to achieve justice for my cousin, which I've helped do. I can be a lawyer anywhere. As you told your mother, a soldier is as much who you are as what you are. I really wanted you out of the army but that was for selfish reasons. Now that I know that you can't be deployed again I don't need you out."
She took a deep breath to center herself. "What I do need is to be with you and you happy. I have come to a decision. I'm going to resign from the District attorney's office and give up this apartment. I want to live where ever you are, in this case in the city of West Point. We keep the loft as our New York address until such time that we need more room." She smiled as she said that, her eyes shyly seeking his. "I don't want Lisa to be an only child."
Rick was speechless for a moment, hardly believing what Kate was saying. Then he took her hands. "Kate, you shouldn't have to give up your career for me. You're too independent for that."
Kate shook her head, leaned in and kissed Rick.
"I'm not giving up my career Babe I'm merely changing it. As I said I can work as a lawyer anywhere. And I'm not doing it for you I'm doing it for us, you, me and Lisa. In private practice I can set my own hours which will give me more time with Lisa than I get now. I've already discussed it with my parents and they support the idea. When they want to visit us or we visit them it's not that far away."
Kate had just put on her night wear when she got a salacious grin and pulled her top off, leaving her in her skimpy panties and a lacy bra. "Besides If I'm there sometimes, between classes you can slip away for an afternoon delight." She caught his face between her hands and proceeded to reinforce her position.
As she lay there in the afterglow, snugly curled up against Rick she had a thought that caused her to chuckle to herself. As Horney as I've been since Rick's been home maybe there's one good aspect of our time apart. If we'd married six years ago I'd probably have six kids running around the house. Am I going to calm that down? HELL NO!
When Rick reported to the tactics department at West Point, Monday Morning he was warmly greeted by the department head. Who, after exchanging salutes offered him a chair.
"Take a seat Major and welcome to West Point. While teaching here may not be anything like your field actions have been I hope that you will find that teaching future officers the valuable lessons that can only come from actual combat experience as exciting and rewarding as I have.
I too come from a line officers assignment and I have seen combat and quite frankly hope I never see any more. I was armor and in the Gulf War. Let me tell you that my wife is quite happy to have me back at my Alma Mater and never wants me back in a field command again, even if I never get flag rank. Care for some coffee Major?"
"Frankly sir, I'd love some. I didn't have time to get the good stuff this morning so I had to settle for a cup from a kiosk at Grand Central. Too long a line at Starbucks'". The Colonel laughed. "That's one of the perks we have here, some really excellent coffee." They chatted for a few minutes and then the colonel said;
"The cadets are all in academics this morning so it's a good time for you to meet your fellow instructors in the tactics department after that you'll meet the some of the tactical officers. I've also had a request from the literature professor asking if you would be willing to take on an extra duty of teaching a creative writing class."
Rick smiled and said. "I not only would be willing but I'd really enjoy doing it."
"Good, you will meet her at lunch. She's a civilian professor so her standing is academic only." Rick spent the rest of the morning in orientation classes, which would resume after lunch. At noon a very pretty senior cadet with the collar bars of a Cadet Lieutenant met Rick and saluted.
"Good afternoon Major Rodgers. I am Cadet Lieutenant Alicia Walsh and I am to escort you to the mess hall sir. Colonel Landon has asked that you be seated at his table." Rick returned the sharp salute just as crisply, looking over the cadet's impeccable uniform. He gave her the slightest of smiles, maintaining the role of a professional officer.
"Very good and thank you cadet, it would not look good to get lost on my first day and late for lunch with my boss." Alecia, in her turn looked over the officer standing in front of her. His uniform was perfect in every detail. Obviously custom made and tailored it fitted him to perfection and exactly to regulation, every award and decoration in order and all metal gleaming.
As they walked to the mess hall she was surprised that he wasn't even making small talk. Most of the men she'd been assigned to escort seemed anxious to impress her. Her obvious physical beauty had resulted in being assigned escort duty far more than she liked and more than the normal rotation. Oh, she knew who he was, the campus had been buzzing with the news of his assignment but he wasn't what she had expected. She'd thought that a celebrity such as he would be flaunting his fame but there was none of that or even the cockiness she'd encountered from a lot of special operations types. He no longer wore the crossed arrows of Special Forces but the crossed rifles of his basic branch, Infantry. Nor did he wear the Green Beret.
This officer stirred something in her. He was undoubtedly handsome but it was his initial appraisal of her that was so different from most of the men she had to escort. He didn't ogle her as was often the case nor make borderline offensive comments. As a senior cadet, she knew what the various ribbons and badges signified. The man was incredibly brave and obviously highly skilled, the true legend behind his Captain Hawkins character.
Arriving at the mess hall Alicia guided Rick to Colonel Landon's table. A slender rather attractive woman in her late forties sat with him. She had dark blonde hair worn in a bob and a narrow face with a surprisingly full-lipped mouth. Conservatively dressed, she wore a gray pantsuit over a white blouse. Square rimless glasses did little to hide a predatory gleam in her large gray eyes. Colonel Landon spoke.
"Major Richard Rodgers I would like you to meet Professor Melissa Garner head of our literature department. Professor Garner, Major Rodgers. Professor Garner offered her hand, letting her fingers linger a shade too long as she grasped Rick's hand.
Rick was instantly on high alert. This had happened so many times that he didn't miss the implication at all. He knew that having agreed, he'd have to work with her. He was just going to make sure that he was never alone with her at any time.
"Cadet Walsh please join us for lunch, Colonel Landon said. It will save us a little time as you are released from your afternoon classes to show Major Rodgers around the campus. After they had ordered their lunch, Professor Garner said; "Although I'm not normally a fan of the genre, major I have read all your books and I find them very entertaining and Colonel Landon tells me that the action scenes are very authentic. May I assume that they are based on your own exploits?"
Rick laughed. "Of course not professor, none of those stories are factual or based on any one person or team. They're all based on an amalgamation of many different officers and men I've known and pieces of various actions. I'll freely admit that I've got a fairly large ego but it's not that big. Listening to that exchange, Alicia found herself wondering; I wonder if you based those steamy sex scenes on yourself and your girlfriends? Blushing faintly at the thought. She'd read parts of Hawk's Nest in a friend's copy. The conversation around the table continued to be light, staying off military subjects and Alecia was quite surprised at how easily Rick and the colonel drew her into it, erasing the discomfort most cadets felt around senior officers. As lunch concluded, Colonel Landon said; "I won't be seeing you for the rest of the orientation but I'd like to invite you and your fiancée to a meet and greet party at the officer's club, Friday at 18:00 hours. You will be dismissed at noon to go back to the city."
Rick knew that although couched as an invitation, it really was an order. A large number of civilians are not aware that professional members of the armed forces all have a very active social calendar and making good impressions at social functions are as important in service life as they are in civilian life.
His earlier reticence gone after lunch, Rick carried on a lively and pleasant conversation with Alicia while she showed him the campus. At the end of the day Alicia found that unlike most of her previous escort assignments, she had enjoyed the afternoon and mildly envied Kate.
The rest of the week passed quickly for both Rick and Kate and Friday afternoon found them in the Viper heading for West Point. Kate was happy that his wound wasn't bothering him anymore but miffed that she wasn't driving. She loved to drive and the power of the big Dodge was thrilling to say the least. She smiled to herself as she planned ways to exploit the "What's yours is mine and what's mine is yours" thing after they were married, to get more driving time.
Rick's smile was equally secretive. He noticed Kate's eyes flicking to the steering wheel or gear shift and was fairly sure what she was thinking. He actually planned to let her drive the Viper pretty much as much as she wanted but he wasn't going to let her know that just yet.
All eyes were on them as they walked into the officer's club it simply wasn't possible to ignore Rick's status either as a celebrity artist or his military accomplishments nor Kate's beauty. She wore the same dress that she'd worn on their first date with her hair arranged in an elegant up-do, the radiant smile on her face and the sparkle in her eyes made her easily the loveliest woman in the room. Rick introduced Kate to Colonel Landon and his wife. Lois Landon shook hands with Kate and smiled. "Welcome to the West Point family my dear. I can remember when I had that same look on my face as you do now. Well, Rolfe and I have been married for twenty-three tears and I still get that look from time to time. Rolfe and I were married in the cadet chapel and I understand that you will be also. It's a beautiful and very traditional thing."
The woman then saw Kate's ring. "Oh my that has to be the most unusual engagement ring I've ever seen. It's beautiful and striking! What are those stones?"
Kate blushed a little and said; "They're Russian Purple amethysts. Rick had the ring made for me." The older woman smiled as she watched both Rick's and Kate's faces while she talked. "That man loves you very much my dear, you're a fortunate woman."
Kate then invited the colonel and his lady to the wedding which both happily accepted. They then moved over to the buffet table and loaded their plates with an assortment of cold cuts, salads and warm pastas. After eating they mingled, meeting the other instructors, their wives or significant others. A couple of the instructors were single but flirting with Kate seemed like a seriously bad idea. Everything was going smoothly until Professor Garner came up to them.
She was wearing a dress that revealed just a hint more than it should but not enough to be truly scandalous. Kate immediately picked up on Rick's nervousness when the woman introduced herself, so she was really alert. "Hi, I'm Professor Melissa Garner you must be Major Rodgers' fiancée. We at West Point feel quite privileged to acquire such superb soldier and a talented writer for our faculty. I will be honored to help him learn the intricacies of teaching our cadets new skills." She was looking at Rick with a seductive smile when she said it."
Kate's smile could have frozen water at fifty feet. "I'm sure that Rick knows enough about both writing and teaching not to need much assistance. And while you may know a lot about literature I don't think you know much about wildlife management. You see, cougars are not a protected species in New York." Rick almost choked holding back his laughter at the look on Melissa's face. Predatory she might be but stupid she wasn't. They left the party about an hour later, staying overnight in a neat little bed and breakfast where Kate proved, once again why no other woman would ever be a threat to her. The next day Kate put the top down on the Viper, letting the wind whip through her hair as she reveled in driving the powerful machine.
Kate was anticipating the wedding so much that she was afraid that the remaining weeks would drag by. Just the opposite was true. She and Johanna planned the whole thing. She refused to use a wedding planner. It was her wedding and she'd known all her adult life exactly how she wanted it to go. Meanwhile, Rick had hired a realtor to find them a house. He'd shown the couple pictures of several houses and they drove up one Saturday morning. The fourth house they looked at was it. It was four bedroom three bath colonial style sitting on a half- acre plot just a mile from post. The house had been modernized just two years ago with a brand new heating and air conditioning system, a completely state of the art kitchen and a hot tub installed in an enclosed deck. Rick immediately put a cash offer on the house intending it as an investment as well as a home, on the principle of real property and don't sell it. If they moved back to the city or Rick was assigned elsewhere they would lease or rent the house to another officer.
Neither Lanie nor Esposito were going to let their friends get away without a bachelor/ bachelorette party, though neither Kate nor Rick really wanted one. They reluctantly agreed to it although both put their foot down hard. No strippers, male or female. They both considered them immature and disrespectful to their respective mates. Both Lanie and Javi grumbled about spoilsports.
The day finally arrived. Their house was ready for them. Rick had waived escrow and Jim had overseen moving the furniture from Kate's apartment and Rick's loft while Johanna saw to it that the dishes, silverware, linens, groceries and household supplies were in place as well as the couple's clothing. The house had a four car garage so Jim, Javi and Kevin had fun driving the Nomad, the Stingray and the Mach I up to West Point. The T-Bird and The El Camino were on loan to an auto museum in the city. Rick had the Wrangler shipped from Fort Lewis.
Kate sat in the bedroom of their new home, freshly bathed and being pampered as Lanie did her make-up and Johanna did her hair. Johanna arranged her hair so that it softly framed her face then was pulled back in two loose plaits into a silver clip at the nape of her neck, then flowed down her back. She wore her heirloom diamond necklace with matching diamond earrings Jim had given her. Her veil was held in place by a diamond studded tiara from Rick.
Jim knocked on her door and entered at Kate's call. Jim wore a midnight blue tuxedo that exactly matched Johanna's dress. He gazed happily but a little sadly too at his beautiful daughter. "You are so beautiful Katie I can hardly believe that my little girl turned into such a gorgeous woman. Are you happy are you really ready for this?" Kate hugged and kissed Jim. "Oh yes Daddy I am so happy and I am so ready for this, for Rick, for our life together." Jim grinned.
"Well then, let's get you to the chapel."
Rick had dressed in the officer's quarters at West Point. His best friend and former executive officer, now team commander had flown out from Fort Lewis to serve as his best man. Esposito, Ryan, and Gabby's boyfriend, Charley served as groomsmen. There was a real major advantage of holding the wedding at the cadet chapel. Since West Point is a military post as well as a college the paparazzi could be kept at bay. After the dramatic and traumatic incidents at the premier the wedding was a media feeding frenzy. Unfortunately for the media, West Point could not be easily penetrated. One television news crew was allowed in and one newspaper team with the proviso that they share with their colleagues. Any paparazzo caught on the grounds would be arrested, charged with trespassing on a military reservation and have his equipment confiscated.
Rick and the groom's party stood at the altar of the historic church. Rick was surprised at the dignitaries who attended the wedding. Per military courtesy he had invited the superintendent of West Point, the commandant of cadets and the garrison commander and their wives. He didn't really expect them to attend. They did. Even those people didn't help the groom's side much. Kate's large extended family rather dominated the attendees. But none of that mattered to Rick when the first notes of the traditional wedding march sounded. Everyone rose and turned to see the bridal party entering.
Rick didn't notice anything other than the almost ethereal vision in white. She seemed to glide down the aisle on her father's arm. Their eyes met and for him, the rest of the room disappeared. For her, she could only see the man in the dress blue uniform waiting at the altar. Her heart skipped a beat and then picked up a pace. Finally we're here. I've wanted this for so long and in a few minutes it will be mine. He'll be truly mine forever. Thank you God for watching over him.
Jim gently kissed Kate's cheek as he placed her hands in Rick's than stepped aside to join Johanna. The chaplain opened with the traditional words. "Dearly beloved we are gathered here to unite this man and this woman in holy matrimony…"
They had decided to use the traditional vows as nothing else said it more eloquently and anything else that need be said was between them.
"I now pronounce you husband and wife, you may kiss your bride." Rick kissed his wife quite passionately and she kissed him back just as passionately, keeping it up long enough to almost become embarrassing. When they turned to face the audience Kate's smile was the most radiant anyone there had ever seen. The Chaplain's smile was benign.
"Ladies and gentlemen may I present, for the first time Major Richard and Mrs. Katherine Rodgers. They walked down the aisle amid a storm of flower petals and exited the chapel under an arch of swords.
Author's Note; I apologize for the length of time that it has taken me to post this but between a significant writer's block and a hectic personal schedule writing has been problematical. I hope that you enjoyed this final chapter. A short epilogue and we're done. I reserve the right to return to this universe at some future date if the demand is sufficient. Please review.
Swordwriter