AN: So here's the epilogue, up sooner than I thought because I have basically all my school work done
-Enjoy :D
Disclaimer the characters that you recognise are not mine, I just like to have fun with them.
Epilogue
Two years later.
It was a bright, sunny Saturday morning in early June and Kate couldn't have been happier. She was sitting at the dresser in her and Rick's room looking out the window of their house as Lanie did her hair. When she turned her head she could see Alexis and Jenny in the reflection of the mirror, sitting on her bed discussing what nail polish colour would go best with their dresses. She knew that Martha had her hands full in the downstairs level of the Castle abode with not only two-year-olds Joanna and Alexander but also little Blake Ryan, who had just turned one, and Samantha Esposito, who would be having her first birthday in a month.
"Earth to Kate." Lanie said, effectively pulling Kate from thoughts of the children. "We need to get your makeup done and get you into that dress soon."
"Right. Sorry." Kate said absentmindedly turning her seat around. "My thoughts were elsewhere." She closed her eyes and let Lanie get to work.
Kate was just standing from her chair to get dressed when she saw two small whirls of colour run pass the door; one black, the other purple.
"Alexander David." Kate said, her Detective Beckett voice coming out. "Joanna Abigail." She continued as she walked to the door. When she looked out into the hall the two figures were making their way back towards her, heads hung, they were old enough to know they had done something wrong.
"Yes Mommy?" They both said as they were standing in front of her.
"How many times have Daddy and I told you," Kate started, back to her normal voice. "Not to run around in your good clothes?"
"Lots of times." Joanna said, turning her big eyes on her mother.
"That's right." Kate continued. "Now go back down to grandma and be good."
"OK Mommy." They both replied.
"Sorry Mommy." Alexander added before they went back down to Martha.
When Kate turned back around she saw all three women in their matching deep purple strapless knee length dresses and realised that she hadn't dressed yet.
"Come on girl." Lanie said. "We need to get you dressed." Kate nodded and walked over to her walk-in closet and pulled out her dress and shoes. After lying the dress on her bed she went into the bathroom to change her underwear, when she emerged Lanie was holding her stunning white dress out for her to wear.
It took all three of them to get the dress over her head without messing up her hair but when it was finally on she looked stunning.
"Kate!" Alexis exclaimed. "I know it's kind of late, but have you got your something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue?"
"Yes." Kate replied with a smile. "I'm wearing the same necklace my mother wore at her wedding and I'm the fifth person to wear it, it classifies as old. My dress is new, this lovely hair piece is Lanie's and as you've already seen, my underwear is blue."
"Oh good." Alexis replied, clearly relieved. "I was slightly worried." The other ladies laughed but all stopped when they heard the doorbell ring.
The door opened and closed and they heard the voice of Jim Beckett calling up the stairs. Kate checked herself in the mirror one last time and then made her way out of her room and down the stairs. She could see the tears in her father's eyes as she walked towards him.
"You look so much like your mother." He told her while giving her a gentle hug.
"Time to go everyone." Martha said loudly entering the room with two small children tagging along.
-!-!-!-
Rick was standing at the altar, fidgeting worse then he did when watched Kate do paperwork just after he had started shadowing her.
"Man," Esposito said, standing next to him, Ryan egging him on from his other side. "Why are you so nervous? You've done this twice before."
"Maybe so," Rick replied. "But never like this. This is it for me."
"I know the feeling." Esposito said, remembering himself and Lanie in Vegas just after she had found out she was pregnant, before they had even told anyone.
The three boys were brought out of their thoughts by the music starting. Rick looked on as his two youngest children walked down the isle; she holding a basket, he holding a cushion. Then as his eldest daughter, nearing twenty-one, walked down the isle after Jenny. He thought she looked way to grown up for his little girl, but another soon captured his attention.
He didn't even notice Lanie walking down the isle; one Katherine Beckett, looking more beautiful then he had ever seen her, held his attention. She seemed to glide towards him, her father next to her. Time moved too quickly and Kate was soon standing before him, her father kissing her cheek and placing her hand in his. The happy couple made their way to the altar and the priest began the ceremony.
-!-!-!-
As Jim Beckett sat in the front pew, an empty spot next to him; he missed his late wife terribly. He knew she would have approved, Rick was good for their daughter; he brought out a side in her that Jim hadn't seen in a long time.
As the ceremony progressed, Jim watched his daughter intently; she seemed to be glowing. He had the feeling she wasn't telling him something, but she would tell him in good time. He watched as his daughter pledged her life to the man that she loved, and he the same to her, and he saw the same love in her eyes that he saw in her mothers all those years ago when they were standing at that very altar.
Jim averted his eyes, but joined in the applause, as the priest told Rick that he could kiss his bride, and then announced them and Mr and Mrs Castle.
-!-!-!-
Hours later the reception was in full swing. Lanie and Esposito had made their speeches together, telling the crowd how everyone had known from day one that there had been something between the couple and how Rick had slowly, but surely, chipped away at her wall until it crumbled down. Lanie referred to Rick as 'Writer-Boy' ("Writer-Man!" Kate corrected her, to the crowds' amusement) and Esposito referred to Kate as 'Boss'. By the end of their speech the crowd was in fits of laughter.
As the first strains of Adele's Make You Feel My Love played Rick stood from his seat and held out his hand. "Dance with me, Mrs Castle?" He asked. Kate stood and placed her hand in his as he led her out to the middle of the dance floor. There wasn't a dry eye in the place, everyone could see how much the song meant to the couple, but very few understood the extent of it.
As Rick started whispering the words in Kate's ear as he held her close, tears started to trickle down her face. The song came to an end and she kissed him soundly, when she pulled back and placed her forehead on his she felt a hand on her arm.
Kate turned to see her father holding his hand out to her. This started her dancing with so many people she thought it would never end. When she was finally partnered with her husband again they went to sit. They hadn't been seated very long when a familiar face approached them.
"May I dance with your wife, Rick?" Roy Montgomery asked.
"We both know you're better off asking her that, Roy." Rick replied.
"A dance, Kate?" Montgomery asked, holding out his hand.
"Certainly sir." Kate replied, took his and approached the dance floor.
"How many times," Montgomery said. "Do I need to tell you to call me 'Roy' now that I'm not your boss anymore."
"Sorry." Kate replied. "Force of habit." And they resumed their dance in comfortable silence.
Not long after the party started to die down and Rick and Kate made their exit, slightly disturbed but the cat calls that came from Esposito and Ryan.
Once they had got to their hotel room Kate became slightly nervous, she had some news for Rick, and hopefully he would take it slightly better than he had last time she'd told him something like this…
AN: Ok I'm fully prepared to be bombarded with questions, that's why there will be a sequel, tentatively called 'Life With Twins' that should start appearing within the next couple of weeks. It will follow the story between the last chapter and the epilogue. So if there's anything you want to know, hit the little blue button and I will try and answer your question at some point in the sequel.
I also have a couple of other Castle fics in the woodworks that should all be posted before Christmas.
I hope you've enjoyed the journey that has been 'Just One Night' and are looking forward to 'Life With Twins'
- Emily :D