He stood in front of the full-length mirror watching his reflection fold the collar of the crisp navy dress shirt he wore over the grey necktie that matched the suit he was wearing. Outside the small room where the parents of the bride and groom were given to change and store their things, voices could be heard running up and down the hallway as final preparations were made.

With a short, perfunctory tap, Kate opened the door and smiled at her husband. "Oh, she looks so good, Castle," Kate says, closing the door again and going to him to steal a hug and kiss. "You're going to love it." She notices the flood of emotion he's trying to keep at bay and hugs him tighter. "Hey, don't start now. You won't have any left for the rest of the night."

"Too late," Castle mutters, wiping away the tears already falling down his cheeks.

His daughter was getting married. His baby girl. From the day she was born, they were a team; him and Alexis conquering the big, scary world together. And now, once again, he had to send her out into the big, scary world on another milestone. And he wasn't ready.

Max was a great guy who loved his daughter with his whole being, but Rick wasn't ready to let Alexis go again. To give her to another man to love and protect.

It was scary.

"Rick? Are you ready for 'first look' photos?" The wedding planner asks through the door.

"Yeah, I'll be out in a minute," he calls, taking a deep breath, swallowing away the emotion and tears. At least for the time being. "Are the kids ready?" He asks Kate.

"Yeah. Andrea and Taylor have them all," she replies, speaking of Max's sisters who were tasked with taking care of the kids before the ceremony. "Go. Go see your beautiful daughter." Kate smiles at him, nudging him out the door.

[][]

Rick Castle stood with his back turned, waiting for the signal. He heard the photographer snapping pictures in quick succession and knew somewhere nearby the videographer was ready to capture the moment.

He could sense her arrival, and when she touches his arm he's quick to turn around.

"Oh, Alexis." His quiet gasp is accompanied by a flood of tears.

Before him stood his eldest daughter, no longer a little girl but a beautiful woman. The contoured dress fit her perfectly, falling down her body in a flow of intricate lace that showed the toned muscles of her back.

"You said you weren't gonna cry!" Alexis sobs, trying desperately not to ruin her professionally done makeup.

"Yeah, well, I lied," Rick replied, pulling Alexis in for a hug and tucking her head under his chin just as he'd done countless times in her life. They stay like that for moments longer than necessary and when they part, the tears have ended.

"You look beautiful, pumpkin," Rick says, taking his daughter's hands in his. "I am so happy for you."

"Thank you, Daddy." She squeezes his hands, smiling at her dad. There was now silver mixed into the brown hair that still flopped boyishly into his face and the navy suit he wore succeeded in bringing out the deep blue of his eyes. But to Alexis, the years hadn't affected her dad at all. He was still that superhuman protector she remembered as a little girl; big enough to swallow her whole to keep the monsters under the bed at bay.

"Whenever you guys are ready, we can start walking over," the wedding coordinator says to them.

"Are you ready?" Rick asks Alexis.

At her nod, he rests one hand on her back and guides them toward the staging area near the ceremony space. Thunder claps loudly overhead and rain pelts the windows surrounding the conservatory.

"It's gonna be okay. This is better! The plants make it look even more like a fairy garden," Rick says, trying to keep his daughter's mood up. The ceremony was meant to be held outdoors along the banks of the pond near the botanical gardens. But considering the unexpected storm, it had been quickly moved inside to the backup location.

"You're right. It does," Alexis smiles, bringing out the round-faced little girl she once was. He kisses her cheek again before bending to catch the hugs of his three youngest daughters as they join them.

"Yes, you look very pretty," he agrees with the girls' statement. "You look very pretty too," he says to Kate when she comes up alongside him in a navy dress that hits just above her knees, sealing the statement with a kiss.

A moment later, the music starts and they are all quick to get in line.

Rick and Alexis stand at the back, waiting for their turn. He stands in disbelief, his daughter's hand in his, thinking of how fast time had gone and how happy his baby girl looked. He was so happy for her.

[][]

A year of planning had led up to this. The culmination of three years of dating in undergrad, and almost three years of medical school; of getting to finally call the girl he loved with all his heart his wife.

Max takes his place at the front of the venue with the officiant and his best man as they wait for the rest of the wedding party to come down the aisle. If he listened closely, hidden under the piano music, he could hear the excited jabber of his soon-to-be sisters-in-law as they twirled in their dresses and eagerly awaited their job as flower girls.

The song changes and Max's heart starts to beat faster. Everything seems to pass both so slowly, and all too quickly.

Their mom's walking arm in arm, eyes already filled with tears, his brother and her best friend walking together, a few more of their closest friends to fill out their wedding party, his eldest two nieces as junior bridesmaids and his lone nephew as a junior groomsman, and his youngest niece who didn't want to walk down with everyone else, but does wave at him from the comfort of her dad's lap.

And her siblings, all five of them, bringing up the rear. Liam walks with a purpose; nothing would stop him from getting from point A to point B. Austin comes down with all the swagger his little body could muster; eating up the attention. Danielle and Miyana walk hand in hand, glitter from their fairy wings falling behind them in a trail, shooting streams of bubbles out of the flashing wands they hold. And little Finn with her walker and the biggest smile he's ever seen on her waves her own wand full of bubbles and bops along to the music.

The crowd stands, the song changes, and there she is.

Staring at him, tears in her eyes, gripping her dad's hand. The lace of her halter dress hugs her body like a glove, and the navy sash tied around her dress ties in their subtle 'Beauty and the Beast' theme perfectly.

As she comes closer and closer to him, Max finds himself swallowing back emotion, letting it burn down his throat. She looked stunning and he was so happy.

Hi, he mouths to her.

Hi, she replies with a small wave. I love you

I love you too.

Finally, Rick hands her over, reminding Max to take care of his baby girl.

"Always," he tells him. It's a word full of meaning in her family; one he vows to never forget.

He takes Alexis' hands and looks at her for the first time all day. He's awed by her; completely speechless. He feels tears coming down his face and Alexis lets go of one hand to wipe them away.

She's crying too.

He doesn't remember the speeches or the vows, or them lighting a candle to symbolize their love and commitment to each other. But he does remember the kiss.

Their first kiss as man and wife gives him exactly the same feeling as when he kissed her for the first time at that party all those years ago. The feeling of being weightless, of time stopping, of them being the only two people in the world.

[][]

They're dancing alone now, their first time as husband and wife, as their friends and family sit and watch them. There are occasional whoops and whistles, and more than one person discretely wiping away tears.

Rick holds his wife's hand, their fingers laced, letting his own tears build in his eyes and freely spill over. Tears of love and happiness and emotion at how grown Alexis was. How, though she would always be his baby girl, she wasn't a baby anymore. He locks eyes with Kate and they smile at each other and he leans down and kisses her.

"The bride and groom would like to invite couples who have been married five years or less onto the dance floor," the DJ announces, bringing with it the handful of couples out to join the slow dance. A moment later, another announcement, this time for couples married ten years or less.

Rick stands, holding out a hand for Kate, and leads her onto the dance floor, stopping near Alexis and Max who have paused to watch. He pulls her close, hands closing around her waist as she encircles his neck. Together, they sway slowly to the music, watching as more and more couples join, showing the progression of marriage and love.

"Hey, I love you," Kate says to him.

"I love you too," He answers, spying his daughter unabashedly kissing her new husband, loving how happy and in love she looked.