CH40

They all slept on the plane all the way to Las Vegas. Castle picked up a town car to have them driven to the Venetian. While checking in they were informed that their personal wedding event planner was already waiting for them.

Castle told her since this was her wedding she should go see her and decide what she wanted.

Kate kissed him and went off in search of her. While Castle and the others headed upstairs.

Kate found her wedding planner and found out she was shocked out how few people would be attending. Castle had selected their largest venue and she had seats waiting for 100 people. Only to find out she only needed a handful.

She had however gone down to the city for them and returned with a marriage certificate. All they had to do was sign it. Kate approved of the flowers and their location.

There would be a quick rehearsal to iron out any last minute details. Kate was offered a room immediately after to dress prior to the wedding. Was assured there would be photographers for everything.

Their room had been upgraded compliments of the Casino/Hotel. Only to find that Castle had upgraded it even further.

Satisfied with everything Kate went up to the suite Castle had gotten for them and stopped dead in her tracks. It was huge and it was gorgeous! There were flowers almost everywhere and the room itself was amazing.

Kate found him standing at the windows looking out. "Castle?" Kate looked at him and looked around the place.

"It's your wedding Kate. You didn't think I was going to let you get married in some roadside outhouse chapel did you?" Rick answered her question.

Kate's only answer was to kiss him.

Then Martha and Alexis made their appearance. "Alexis be a dear and take your father downstairs and do something with him. Katherine and I have a lot of work to do."

Not sure what grams meant but it sounded simple enough. "Come on dad." And takes his hand and starts to pull him to the door.

"Come on Katherine dear we have work to do." And escorts her into the attached master bedroom.

Kate stops at the door and sucks in her breath and stops breathing. Inside the place is packed with flowers. There were wedding dresses hanging on stands. There were wedding dresses still in plastic bags lying on the bed.

"Katherine dear, this is Victoria. She's an old friend of mine. Victoria this is Katherine. My soon to be daughter-in-law." Martha introduces her to woman who was standing in the room.

Victoria steps up. "It's a pleasure my dear. Martha and I go way back. I jumped at the chance to help when she called. She told me you didn't want a wedding dress, and that my dear just will not do.

I brought up some of the nicer ones, but I have more in the van downstairs if you don't see anything you like." Victoria tells her. "Please look around. Pick ones you like and let's try them on to see what you look like."

Kate found three to try on, however Victoria took one of them away. "Oh no dear. You have legs that are the envy of every showgirl in this city. You need something to show them off with. …. Here try this one." And Victoria hands her a bag off the bed.

Kate came out wearing the first one and saw herself in the mirror. It was nice but just didn't look like her. Martha was a little more direct. "Oh no Katherine not that one. That one doesn't look good on you at all. Go try on another." And shoos her back out.

Kate comes back with the second one and looks in the mirror. Now she was getting somewhere. This one she liked and was smiling when she looked at herself.

"I think we are getting somewhere dear, go try on the third." Victoria tells her. So Kate goes back out and changes into the third one.

The second Kate came thru the door both women were taken away by how she looked. Kate stepped in front of the mirror and her jaw hit the floor. It needed adjusting. It was a little wide in the middle. Strapless with a long slit up one side that would expose a leg, but only when she walked. With a little work it would be like a second skin.

"Oh Katherine!" Martha had her hands over her mouth. "It's gorgeous on you. You're brilliant Victoria."

"That is most certainly the right dress for you dear. What do you think?"

"You don't think it shows too much leg?" Kate asks. It was gorgeous, but she didn't want to give the wrong impression.

"My dear, you have the legs for it. And we can shorten the slit a little if it makes you feel better. And we need to bring it in a little." As Victoria pinches certain sections. "When is the wedding?"

"It's at 4:00, I think?" Kate answers.

Victoria looks at her watch. "Not much time. I can do some temporary adjustments for the wedding then make them permanent and you can take it home with you." Victoria offers.

Kate suddenly has just one worry. "How much does it cost?"

"Oh don't you worry about that Katherine. It's the right dress and now it's yours." Martha is quick.

"Martha?" Kate questions her.

"Oh posh dear. Let Victoria see what needs to be altered then get changed. We have a rehearsal to get to." Martha isn't having any of it.

Kate stands there and let's Victoria pin here and pin there and make some marks. "Ok dear go change and it'll be ready when you are."

Kate slips out of the dress and hands it thru the door to Victoria then changes for the rehearsal.

Martha had called Richard to have him meet them for rehearsal.

When they were asked if they wanted to exchange any personal vows, Kate got hung up on what to say.

"We can create our own personal vows and tell them later when we renew our marriage." Rick whispered into her ear.

This is where Kate stopped breathing. He was not only going to marry her but willing to re-marry her later! Still not breathing or able to talk she only nods her head to his plan.

At the end Kate went off to the room provided for her and changed into the wedding dress that Victoria had managed to put some temporary fixes into while Rick went to his and put on the suit that Kate had packed for him on the trip out here.

It really was a small group but Kate saw all the people that mattered most to her there. She didn't see her mother, but hoped she could see it from wherever she was now.

It wasn't the big wedding of her dreams but it was a family that exceeded her dreams. And knowing that her mother approved only made it more memorable.

Rick had all but drooled when he saw Kate in her wedding dress. And when she walked and the slit in the dress opened only made him love it and her more.

Kate had never seen Castle in a suit before. Everything had been so casual. He looked so much more handsome in what she had selected for him to wear.

There really wasn't a reception. Martha took Alexis so that Rick and Kate could hit the gaming floor still dressed in her wedding gown.

They both lost at blackjack (should have brought their resident card shark. But she was too young), and they both lost at craps. But that wasn't the point. They both had laughed and had fun and made memories together.

Then they met back up for dinner, and then had to hurry to the airport for the flight home.

Kate woke up the next day next to her husband in their bed in their apartment in New York City, only to find Castle already awake and staring at her.

"Good morning wife." Rick whispers to her.

"Hhhhmmm, good morning husband." Kate responds back.

"A little shower sex this morning, wife of mine?" Rick offers, arching his eyebrows.

Kate giggles. "I'm still a little sore after last night's and early this morning's love making. How about a rain check for later tonight?" Kate counters. "Besides I have to get Alexis up for school and I have to go to work."

"I thought you said Roy gave you the week off?"

"He did. But I traded it in for a longer Honeymoon."

"Oooo, very wise of you."

"I thought so. … Breakfast?"

"It'll be ready when you are."

Kate gets out of bed and heads for Alexis's room to get her up and into the shower while Kate goes back to their room to shower.

Rick has a bagel with cream cheese, coffee and a first husband and wife morning kiss at the door. And Kate floats down the hall to the elevators, wearing just a little extra weight on one finger.

Rick is busy typing when Jack interrupts him. "There is something on the news that you might need to see." Jack tells him.

Rick heads for the living room, finds the remote and turns on the TV. Seems the new story of the day is a Senator from Massachusetts has been diagnosed with sudden renal failure. Similar to the Senator from New Jersey. Neither had indicated yet that they would be stepping down due to health concerns.

"And another shot across their bow." Rick talks to himself. "No more Maddox, no more Coonan, no more Lockwood and now down two senators. … Anything on the mole in the 12th precinct?" Rick asks Jack.

"The devices you left have so far not turned up anything." Jack informs him, sadly.

"Well maybe missing Coonan and a second Senator will stir something up." Rick hopes.

"Will they not go after Kate now?" Jack asks concerned.

"Highly unlikely. They have nothing that points to her doing anything about her mother's case. And they are likely to lean on Roy before they think about Kate. We just need to stir the pot a little to get them to do just that." Rick tells him.

"And the final Senator?" Jack asks.

"We need to keep taking his pieces away from him. If he is all alone, maybe he will do something stupid. If McMaster or Wichita are shielding their problems from him he is only feeling the heat from what has happened to his two Senator friends.

The first he could call just dumb luck. Having the second go down is going to get him worried. Maybe that will get him to push McMaster and Wichita.

We need that mole! Keep your ears open Jack." Rick goes back to typing. Just two more chapters and he can get Gina off his back.

Rick's cell phone rings. "Speak of the devil."

"Hello Gina. …. Yes I'm almost done. …. Just 2 more chapters to go. …. No I will not go out to dinner with you. You're my publisher not my wife. Which reminds me I need to call Paula. Bye Gina."

"Paula, we need to talk. …. Yes it's important. …. No it's not about Gina. Why would I want to talk to you about Gina? …. Yes I just got off the phone with her. …. She was after me for my chapters. …. No nothing else. ….. Great I'll see you then."

Kate as usual was the first into the office. Turned on her computer sipped the last of her coffee.

Finding she had a message from Lanie about the sword, Kate ran for the elevator. Entering the Morgue. "Hey Lanie I got your message about that sword."

"Hey girl how have you been?" Lanie calls back from the other side of the morgue.

"It was great actually. So tell me about this sword." Kate asks her getting closer.

Lanie eyes her mysteriously. "Right after you explain why it was so great. … You've never been GREAT before."

"It just was. The sword Lanie."

"Great huh? Well this sword had DNA that I've managed to trace back to 3 unsolved murders. At least according to Javi. And one of the DNA results matched, ….. HOLY COW! Where did you get that rock?" And Lanie lurches forward and grabs Kate's hand.

"KATHERINE BECKETT what have you done?" Lanie stands there holding her hand while alternating looking at her and her hand.

Kate suddenly looks like she would rather shoot herself then go through what she thinks is headed her way.

"I sorta flew to Vegas the other day and got married." Kate scrunches for the pain she just knows Lanie is going to give her.

"Married? As in husband and wife married? …. Wedding kind of married?"

Kate just grins and nods her head.

"Ok girlfriend who is he?" Lanie asks.

"Well, he's handsome, and I love him, …. and."

"KATHERINE BECKETT!" Lanie yells at her.

Kate does her best to shrink and close her ears. "Castle."

"Castle? As in Richard Castle? Unbelievably cute daughter Castle? That Castle?"

Kate nods her head.

Lanie shriek's loud enough to break glass and then grabs her in a giant, bone crushing hug.

"You actually did it. You married Castle?" Lanie looks shocked and happy all at the same time.

Kate again just nods her head.

"He asked you to marry him and you said yes. I can't believe it. I'm so happy for you sweetie. … Wait, you said you loved him."

Kate nods her head yet again. "I love him Lanie. … If it's possible I love Alexis even more. And he didn't ask me to marry him."

"Wait, he didn't ask you to marry him and yet you're married?" Lanie is totally lost.

Kate shakes her head. "I asked him to marry me."

"YOU asked him?" Lanie's mouth is hanging open. "And he said yes. … Wait, getting married around here takes days."

"We got married in Vegas."

"So he said yes and hauled you out to Vegas to marry you?"

"Actually it was my idea, although Castle did make all the arrangements. He even chartered a jet to fly us there."

Lanie wastes no time and punches Kate in her arm as hard as she can.

"OWE! What was that for?" Kate rubs her arm. It did actually hurt.

"That's for getting married without me. I should hit you again for not telling me. I'm SO mad at you." Lanie stands there glaring at her with her arms crossed.

"Well if it's any consolation Castle wants to marry me again after we create our own personal wedding vows." Kate tells her trying to protect her arms.

"I better get an invite girl or I'll do more than hit you."

"I swear Lanie you'll get invited. I'll hand deliver it myself." Kate holds up her hand like she was giving her oath.

"I better!" Still glaring at her. Then is suddenly happy again and grabs Kate's hand. "Let me see that again. …. It's gorgeous girl. Your man has good taste."

"Oh Lanie it's amazing. It feels strange to have something on that hand and yet it feels great. I've been twisting it and playing with it for hours."

"So when's the honeymoon girl? And where?"

"I don't know we haven't planned it yet. We only just got back from Vegas yesterday."

"Well it doesn't matter where you go since you're never leaving the bedroom anyway."

Getting Kate to giggle.

"So when are you going to start making little Castle babies?"

"Immediately. I'd already be pregnant if I could."

Lanie crushes her in another bear hug. "I'm still happy for you girl. Just don't screw it up and lose him or that little girl of his, yours."

"I don't intend to Lanie, I don't intend to. This is what I want. More than anything, this is what I want."