Disclaimer: All these characters belong to ABC and Mr. Marlowe

Not exactly a 'regular update,' I know, but to be honest this one just didn't want to cooperate, so I had to spend an extremely long time tweaking it before I could even consider posting it. As much as I love the idea of giving you quicker chapters, I physically couldn't do it with something I wasn't happy with, but once again I apologize. Anyway, so it's currently 4.02 am in my part of the world and I'm miserably exhausted and running out of coffee, but the guilt was killing me and I don't think I could've possibly made you wait any longer, so hope you enjoy it :)

Wearing nothing but a towel, her hair wet and sticking to her shoulders, Kate stood in front of her open closet. Maybe should have thought this one through. At least considered the consequences before she agreed to be his date. Cause now they were going to a wedding. Together.

And she had absolutely nothing to wear.

This wasn't a part of the plan. Her plan.

She was seeing him when she wasn't meant to. Again. Which meant that she was already a bit off track with that one. Although going to a wedding with him, that was way off course. No, not just way off course. She was driving on the wrong side of the road. Backwards. And wearing a blindfold.

Yes, that was a great way to describe how immensely way off course she was at the moment.

Darn it. And it was a good plan too. She was happy, satisfied with it, and it meant that when this was all over, she would be able to say goodbye and get back to her normal life. Maintain control over everything and simply walk away from him without any problems or...

...complications.

And what she was feeling when she was with him, even when she wasn't with him? Yes, they were definitely complications.

Abruptly closing her closet doors, Kate took a few paces in front of the large piece of furniture, before giving up and moving to sit at the end of her bed. She needed a manual for this. An instruction book on 'How not to get attached to your six week boyfriend.' Or at least a brief guide on 'How to say no and prevent yourself from seeing said six week boyfriend when not required'.

Really, she shouldn't let it affect her, let it get to her like this afternoon meant anything. Because it didn't. But there was that unmistakable burning in her chest, an unresolved, lingering nervousness that told her otherwise. That told her that maybe she wanted today to mean something.

But she knew she shouldn't think like that.

She was simply helping him. Right? Filling up a spot. So there was no need for any complications.

Kate took another hesitant look at her closet. Although not having a dress, that was already a complication, and a massive one at that.

She sat there, taking a moment before she reached out to her bedside table and grabbed her phone. She held it in the palm of her hand, narrowing her eyes at it, before searching through her contacts and bringing it to her ear.

"Lanie," she greeted, letting out a calming breath. "I need your help."

He wasn't nervous. No, there was no need to be nervous. It was only a wedding.

"You're nervous," a voice came from behind him. Turning away from his full length mirror, Castle caught sight of Alexis leaning against his bedroom doorframe him with a knowing smile. How long has she-? She was scary like that, and he definitely needed to start getting her some squeakier shoes.

Castle felt his jaw tense as he spun back to focus on his reflection once again, lifting his hands to hold the ends of his tie. "Me? Nervous?" he replied, narrowing his eyes in disagreement and offering an uneasy quirk of his lips. "I'm not nervous," he reassured, flipping one end of the silky material over the other before letting out a frustrated sigh and attempting to start again. Seriously, why wouldn't this thing just cooperate?

Alexis shook her head and let out a soft chuckle, making her way towards him. "Dad, you've been trying to fix your tie for twenty minutes now," she began, stepping between him and the mirror. "It's okay. Just relax."

Castle exhaled and dropped his hands, allowing his daughter to salvage his tie tying efforts as she completed the correct folds and loops. "It only seems like yesterday when I was teaching you about pulling the bunny through the rabbit hole with your shoelaces, and now look at you."

Pulling the completed knot into the angle of his buttoned shirt collar, Alexis looked up at him, letting out a satisfied smile. She then stepped to the side, allowing Castle to see his more complete reflection.

"Thank you," he replied, briefly wrapping his arm around her shoulder and placing a soft kiss on her forehead.

"Oh, isn't this all romantic, you and Kate going on a date," his mother abruptly interrupted as she strode into his bedroom. "Although, it's about time if you ask me."

"Mother, in case you haven't noticed, we've already been on plenty of dates," he replied, taking his suit jacket off the coat hanger. Holding it out, he maneuvered his arms through the sleeves, before fitting it up and over his shoulders.

"Richard, that is not what I meant and you know it," Martha sighed, standing next to Alexis as they both kept watchful eyes on him. "Now, remember, act like a gentleman."

"Yes, Mother," Castle replied, hardly paying attention as he considerately straightened out the angles of his suit.

"And romantic. All women love romance," Alexis reaffirmed with a nod, her enthusiasm evident in her tone.

"She's right," Martha was quick to agree, "but this is Kate Beckett remember, and she's an independent kind of girl, so-"

Castle let out a huff and brushed his hands down the front of his attire. "Okay, thank you both," he began, finally stepping away from the mirror, "but as much as I would love to stay and continue this conversation, I've got to go."

"Bye, Dad," Alexis smiled as he father placed a gentle kiss on her cheek.

Walking over to his mother, Castle repeated his farewell gesture, then exited out his bedroom door.

"Have fun, Darling."

He was a mess. Honestly, he felt like he was a nervy teenager again picking up his date for the prom. All the confidence that he usually accompanied had deserted him, leaving him stranded with only his fluttering heart and slightly sweaty palms.

Standing in front of her door, he took a moment to comb the tips of his fingers through his hair, following the angles he had set earlier. He wasn't concerned about it or anything, he just..wanted it to be perfect.

He took a moment to himself, exhaled a deep breath (like it would actually have any soothing effect on his rapid pulse) and then he knocked.

He heard the faint sound of footsteps approaching and took a quick look down at his suit making sure everything was in place, before the door finally swung open and he was greeted by an unfamiliar face.

"Ah, you're not Kate," he noted with a slight frown as he took in the smaller woman standing in the entry of Kate's apartment.

"Lanie Parish. Best friend," she greeted with a poised tug of her lips, offering her hand to him.

"Rick Castle." Boyfriend? Ah, best not. "Writer," he smiled, accepting her handshake.

"Well, as nice as it is to finally meet you, my magic is done for the afternoon, so I'll leave you two to it. Kate shouldn't be too long, but she said you could just head inside," she informed, moving out of the doorway.

"Thanks," he smiled.

Lanie offered him a knowing nod, stepping past him and into the hall. "Oh, and ah," she added, briefly spinning back to face him. "Prepare yourself."

Castle parted his lips, confused. "For what?"

She simply flashed him with a look he wasn't able to quite describe, an aura of confidence about her, and he couldn't help feeling like she knew something he most definitely wasn't privy to. "You'll see."

He watched as she disappeared down the hallway, before he cautiously stepped inside Kate's apartment, shutting the door behind him. He ventured through, hearing a few quick thuds coming from her closed bedroom door along with a brief call of what sounded like an, "I'm coming," and possibly a, "Just hold on a sec, Castle," he couldn't quite tell.

He was a bit early anyway, so leaving her to it, he made his way to her lounge, noticing the scattered framed photos that decorated her space. They all seemed to document key stages of her life; a photo of her looking fresh out of the academy, one with her parents, although the one with her wearing neon ice skates? Yeah, he'd definitely have to ask her about that one. He smiled, chuckling to himself, before all the distant commotion seemed to end and a voice spoke from behind him. "Hey, Castle."

He spun around on instinct at hearing his name, but as soon as he did, the grin on his face faded, almost coming to a complete stop the moment he laid eyes on her. His jaw went slack, his throat suddenly began to feel dry as he simply stood there, staring as she made her way into the large room.

He finally understood what her friend meant. Prepare yourself. Although observing her right now, how could there possibly be any way for him to prepare himself for this?

Her face looked softer, eye shadow dusted over her lids and mascara covering her lashes, her lips a light red and looking so delectably moist. Framing her face were a few stray curls, apparent escapees from the loose bun that was shaped at the back of her neck. Castle sucked in a breath, mentally had to remind his lungs to expand and contract as he tried to speak, say anything, but he was unable to give voice to any of the words he could possibly use to describe her.

With great effort, he managed to peel his gaze away from her features and lowered his eyes. She was wearing a fitted grey dress with a curved neckline, and lingering further, he couldn't help but notice the way in which it molded and clung to every curve of her body, before coming to rest above her knees and highlighting the length and shape of her legs.

"What? Something wrong?" Kate stopped in her approach, coming to a standstill, seemingly oblivious to the sheer enormity of how astonishing she looked.

Castle shook his head. "No, I just- whoa," he sighed, as if accepting a sudden realization. He'd always found her attractive, but as she stood in front of him now, it was undeniable and practically smacking him in the face. She was amazing, stunning, absolutely and completely-

"You look beautiful."

As soon as he said it, her eyes shot up, an almost blank expression with a hint of fear etched across her features. She was probably expecting him to take it back, or at least attempt to mumble some sort of an excuse, but he simply couldn't, and it wasn't long before Kate's face broke into a shy smile. "Thank you," she replied, momentarily dropping her gaze from his, before hesitantly lifting her eyes once again. "You know, you don't scrub up too bad yourself, Mr. Castle," she added with the teasing look he knew too well as she slightly twisted her lips.

"Yes. Finally she acknowledges my handsomeness," he smiled with a slight fist pump, as Kate let out a soft, breathy laugh.

A moment passed before Castle looked at her, his eyes creased around the edges and feeling slightly more relaxed. "So, you ready to go?"

"Yeah."

Weaving their way through the colorful and sculptured garden on the outskirts of the church, Castle used every last fiber of his will power to keep his head straight. Maintain his focus on the path in front of him, and quit trying to sneak glances at Kate. It was difficult though. Some may even say near impossible. Especially when his brain could still hardly fathom that she looked like that.

Seriously, there was no way he was going to survive the whole ceremony and reception if he kept this up, and he was probably starting to seem creepy now, which wasn't a good thing.

Yeah, best he stopped.

Finding some sort of resolve, Castle kept his control and attention in restraint as he instead admired the front facade of the ancient looking Church they were approaching.

Coming to a standstill next to him, Kate gazed over the religious structure. "This is breathtaking," she breathed, her eyes bright.

Castle turned to her and offered a slow nod of his head, a soft smile on his lips. "It is, isn't it?"

He was of course talking about the Church.

"How earth did they even find out about this place?"

"Well, from what I've heard, Julia, Greg's wife-to-be, she had her whole wedding planned out when she was six," he replied, slowly moving to make his way up the concrete steps, Kate following his lead. "The dress, flowers, location. Everything. She even had a scrapbook filled with photos."

"Oh yeah."

Stopping, Rick turned to her, eyebrows raised with interest. "Oh yeah?"

"What?"

Castle kept his gaze on her, offering a slight shrug. "Well, it's just the way you say 'oh yeah', it makes it seem like-" he stopped, taking in her features, and suddenly a large, amused smile spread across his face. "Oh my God- Kate Beckett has a wedding scrapbook."

"I do not," she scoffed at a slightly higher pitch than normal, scrunching up her face. "And why are you talking to me in third person? I'm right here."

"I'm a writer. It adds dramatic effect."

Kate rolled her eyes at him and turned, making her way up the remaining stairs.

Stepping up next to her as she entered the foyer, Castle remained silent, pursing his lips in attempt to hold his amusement.

"Okay, spit it out," she sighed, spinning back around to face him as they were surrounded by a crowd of people greeting and hugging each other.

"Well it's just nice to know that even you have dreamt of your wedding day," he smiled, receiving a light glare from her. "You should do it, you know. Get married. You'd be good at it."

A young boy no older than four dressed in a tuxedo ducked in between them, his shirt tails sticking out and his bowtie tied around his forehead, a distressed bridesmaid following close behind, before Kate displayed a considerate frown and let out a thoughtful sigh. "Marriage isn't something I just want to be good at, Castle," she responded honestly, almost under her breath.

He could have pushed her, asked her what she meant, but leaving the conversation at that, well for now anyway, they made their way through a large set of textured, wooden doors, and onto the carpeted aisle.

"What was it like for you?"

Castle turned to her as she exhibited a curious frown. "What?"

Kate hesitantly shrugged. "Getting married."

Castle loosened up a bit, digging his hands into his pants pockets, before responding. "It was petrifying. The first time, I was so young and I didn't really know what I was getting myself into," he informed, shaking his head with a slight breathy laugh. "It was the second scariest day of my life."

Kate twisted her lips in curiosity, her eyes soft. "What was the first?"

"Losing Alexis at the mall," he confidently responded, definitive in his answer. "I don't think anything could ever beat that."

"And getting married comes a close second?"

"Definitely," he nodded, before slightly frowning his face. "Actually, no. Make that a close third. Bringing you pastries and being surprised by your dad in return, that slots right in between a missing Alexis and marriage."

"What?" she scoffed. "Come on, he was completely harmless."

They took a few more steps forward, following the crowd as some dispersed into the filling pews. "You know that eye thing you do? Well it's genetic. So his stare, was literally yours times a thousand. It was scary," he said with wide eyes.

Kate shook her head with a smile, before replying. "Well since we're on the topic of somewhat scary dads, Albie, he's fine," she said casually.

Castle simply looked at her in confusion.

"Alexis' boyfriend…" she clarified. "I ran his name through the system yesterday and he's clean. No scandalous, illegal activity of any kind. Not even a parking ticket, so you can sleep a bit easier at night."

Castle paused in his stride, coming to a halt as he eyed her carefully, a smile quickly spreading across his face. "You did that for me?"

"Yeah," she smiled. "Well, and Albie of course. I mean, goodness knows what you had planned," she chuckled, taking a few strides forwards before turning into a pew in the middle of the church with a few vacant spots.

Castle however, stood there, frozen in place in complete awe, his eyes almost physically glued to her. A few moments passed, before Kate noticed his absence and looked at him over her shoulder, her lips slightly curved. "You coming?"

Jim Beckett's previous words floated through his mind, 'Maybe she's not such an unwilling participant in this as you think,' and Castle released a smile.

He made his way to the pew, shuffling in beside her and unable to wipe the smile on his face, just in time as the soft sound of a violin suddenly swept through the church and everyone turned around as the bridesmaids began to process.

It was a simple ceremony, nothing too overtly over the top, but according to Castle, it reflected Greg and Julia's personalities to a tee. It was just what you'd expect from two people who were publically declaring their love for each other. Their vows were personal and romantic, and nothing seemed forced or staged.

Castle seemed to enjoy it too, if the beaming smile he kept shooting her as they stood side by side in the pew was anything to go by.

And now, in the dusk and post ceremony, everyone had assembled to an embellished ballroom a mere fifteen minute drive from the church, eager to celebrate the recent nuptials. The room was filled with circular tables, all covered in white and each with a small lantern positioned in the middle, creating an intimate, romantic feel to the decorated space.

"On my last golfing weekend, I scored two holes-in-one. Did you know that the chances of that are one in sixty-seven million?"

Kate turned back to the man standing in front of her. He looked early thirties, his brown hair cut short and sculptured around his face. Damien was his name, a distant relative of Julia, and from what she had gathered, he was an accountant from Washington. And he enjoyed golf.

Trying to appear at least somewhat interested, Kate let out a forced laugh. "No, I must admit that I didn't know that," she reply haphazardly, her attention elsewhere as she looked around the small reception. They were standing amongst the decorated tables, mostly empty except for the few guests who were still completing their meals, or hiding from Greg's uncle Barry who had stolen the band's mic and was trying to get every to everyone together for an impromptu 'YMCA' rendition. And then there was also Julia's nana, who due to her complaining about how apparently her seat at table four was too close to the dance floor and not close enough to the bathroom, was now seated in a chair almost directly under the illuminated restroom sign.

"I guess congratulations are in order then," Kate added, briefly turning back to the man with a smile.

"Thanks. I wonder what the statistics would be in Massachusetts though. It has the world's longest golf course, so I don't think I would be as successful there," he laughed.

Kate didn't offer a response except for a polite nod of her head as she peered to her right, letting her eyes roam and finally caught sight of Castle. He was standing on the edge of the dance floor, two champagnes in hand and charming some older lady who was completely humored by something he said. Kate allowed her eyes to linger, watching him for far longer than appropriate, when he suddenly shifted on a chuckled and caught her gaze from across the room. And there was no denying that he looked good. He looked really good all clean shaven and polished in his suit and dress shirt, his tie adding sharpness to his appearance, and if she even dare say it, a certain rugged handsomeness-

Oh boy, she'd never hear the end of it if she told him that...

"Did you know that an American golf ball has three-hundred and thirty-six dimples on it?"

Kate looked back at Damien as he offered her a satisfied and confident grin, apparently happy that he had retained her attention once again. She displayed a curious frown, opening her mouth to come up with some kind of appropriate response- seriously, what do you say to that- before she suddenly felt a warming presence at her back.

"There you are, honey. I've been looking all over for you."

Twisting her head, Kate looked up as Castle simply looked at her, grinning. "Hi," she smiled at him, before her peripheral vision noticed Damien awkwardly shuffling on his feet. "Oh, I'm sorry," she apologized, returning her posture to face the other man. "Damien, this is my- Rick." Oh, she did not just say that- "This is Rick," she quickly corrected.

"Rick Castle," the writer nodded, holding up the two glasses and his inability to offer a handshake.

"Damian Taylor," he returned, a hint of disappointment flashing in his eyes at their new company.

All three of them stood there, a moment of awkward silence passing, before Damien's eyes lit up. "So, you two are..." he began, pointing his finger between the two of them.

"Ah, yes actually. Yes we are," Rick nodded.

"Great." She could see the obvious regret Damien held in Castle's answer, before he puffed out his chest a little. "Well, it was nice to meet you Kate. And you too Rick, but I think I'm going to go check out those desserts they just served up," he finished.

"Oh, no worries. It was nice to meet you too," Kate said as Damien offered her one last smile, before he turned around and made his way through the crowd.

"Seriously, I leave you for two minutes and that's who you talk to?" Castle questioned, moving to stand in front of her.

"What's that meant to mean?"

"Nothing, it's just that he is completely not your type. Not to mention he had two first names, you know you should never trust a guy with two first names," he mumbled, looking at the direction in which Damien left.

Kate drew her eyes together in a frown, her interests peaked. "How would you know what type of guy I need?" she questioned, moving her hand to her hip. "He was nice."

"Ha, yeah, and completely boring," Castle scoffed. "I could train my hamster to be more interesting than him."

"Castle, you don't have a hamster."

"Yeah, well, if I did..."

"You know, if I didn't know any better I'd say you were jealous."

"What? I'm not jealous," he hurriedly answered. "I'm simply trying to make a point. I mean, come on, he might as well have been reading off a golfing scorecard."

"He wasn't that bad," she attempted to defend, only to be met by an 'are you kidding me' look from Castle, before he nodded his head to the left. Following his line of sight, she spotted Damien, positioned in a rigid stance, hands clasped together, before swinging his arms and shoulders and performing what Kate could only guess to be his drive to a less than impressed bridesmaid. Kate looked away from the train wreck waiting to happen and back to the writer. "Okay, so maybe his choice of conversation topics isn't the best out there," she admitted with a slight cringe, before they both shared a chuckle.

"Oh, hear you go," he said as he offered her a glass.

"Thank you." Kate took a sip, gazing over the ballroom. "You know, this whole day reminds me of my parents' wedding."

He looked at her curiously, his eyes soft, allowing her to continue. "When I was younger, I used to beg my mom to play their old wedding video. I remember sitting on the couch, being in complete awe of her in her dress, and just watching the way my dad looked at her... I just, I don't know, the simplicity and romanticism of today. It just seems a lot like there's."

Castle smiled, listening intently, before he looked away and nervously cleared his throat. "Hey, so ah, about your mom. I had a thought," he began, turning back to her. "After you told me about what happened, and talking to your dad a bit more about her the other day, I was thinking that I would like to do something. So yesterday, I called a few of my buddies and they're willing to help me organize a charity of some sorts, or an initiative to help reduce gang violence and also help support anyone who's been an innocent victim. It would all be under her name, and I know it's not much, but I thought it could be a fitting way to honor her memory, for both you and your dad. Well, with your permission of course."

He kept his eyes locked on hers, nervously awaiting her response, but Kate offered nothing. Literally could offer nothing as she tried to allow the gravity of what he said to sink in.

"Unless of course I'm overstepping," he quickly fumbled. "I'm sorry, I know you don't like-"

The features on her face suddenly softened as a smile broke across her lips and she shook her head. "That's really sweet and it would mean a lot," she replied, her voice heavy and laced in emotion.

Castle parted his lips and offered her a smile, his face lit up. "Yeah?"

"Yeah. Thank you. You didn't have to do that."

"I know, but I wanted to," he smiled. They remained like that, Kate feeling far too exposed and raw compared to what she was used to, before Castle suddenly developed a teasing glint in his eye and dramatically cleared his throat. "Although saving you from Golfer's Digest over there, well that's another story..." he mumbled as he took a sip of his champagne.

The smile dropped from Kate's face as she skeptically narrowed her eyes. "Saving me?"

"Mmm-hmm. Don't even try to deny it," he nodded.

Kate crosses her arms in front of her chest and scrunched up her face. "Come on, I admit he wasn't the most interesting of guys, but I totally could have gotten away myself," she defended.

"From the SOS looks you were sending me, I don't think so. You can refute it all you want, but the fact still remains the same. And now, you owe me," he smiled, pursing his lips a little.

"I do not owe you," she shot back, her lips quirking into a slight curve on their own accord as a soft, disbelieving chuckle moved passed her lips.

"Yes. You do," Castle reiterated, smiling with confidence as he took a step towards her.

"No, because I know exactly what you'd want," Kate replied, ignoring his closer proximity. "I already told you last week that there was no way I was taking you to the firing range, or letting you drive my police car, or allowing you to arrest a 'low-life scumbag' as you so eloquently put it, so-"

"Dance with me."

He took her empty champagne glass from her grasp, and handed it to a passing waiter, along with his own. Kate stopped mid sentence, looking at him in surprise. "What?"

His blue eyes remained pierced on hers, unwilling to back down. "Dance with me and consider us even," he repeated, lifting his hand and holding it out for her. "I won't stand on your feet. I promise," he added with a smile.

Kate stood there, taking a moment to hold his gaze as he waited for her, his eyes shining. She felt her heart rate pick up, a warm rush of blood flush through her veins, and letting out a breath, Kate drifted her gaze down to his expecting hand. Her whole body tingling with anticipation, almost buzzing, as she tried to maintain some sense of control.

Against everything that her head was telling her, Kate raised her hand, hovering it over his, dangerously dancing along a fine line of consent. She sunk her teeth into the soft flesh of her bottom lip before releasing it, as if it was somehow going to help her find an appropriate response, anything to help her in the fight of declining his waiting hand. Coming to a wedding with him wasn't part of the plan. Dancing with him, most definitely wasn't part of the plan, but slightly parting her lips, Kate delicately brushed her fingers across his palm, before allowing them to finally rest against the warmth of his skin.

Castle responded to her touch almost immediately, curling and slinking his fingers around hers, molding their hands together.

Kate quirked her lips, and lifting her head, she exhaled a shallow breath. "Okay."

So, anyone keen for a Part 2 to this little outing?

BareWriter