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For Better or for Worse

Part Four

If a honeymoon is meant to be a celebration of love in an intimate, secluded, and most importantly, beautiful setting, then Rick and Kate Castle have chosen the perfect location: three weeks in the Maldives on their own private island.

After the wedding festivities had wound down, Kate and Rick had allowed their family and close friends to stay over in their Hampton's estate. The newlyweds had traveled into town, by way of the chauffeured Rolls Royce, and had spent their first night together as husband and wife at a charming bed and breakfast, before departing the next afternoon for their dream honeymoon.

The first night they'd arrived in the Maldives, they'd been treated to a dinner under the stars by candlelight. Over the course of the next three weeks they'd partaken in many of the activities available to them on the island: taking walks on the beaches, enjoying the colors of the setting sun, and indulging in some lighthearted competition to see who could catch the most fish. Of course Kate had been the winner; she'd been fishing at her father's cabin since she was three years old. But Castle had definitely won the title of best preparer of the catch-of-the-day, since he had done all of the cooking.

They had waited to snorkel and scuba dive among the beautiful, vibrant reefs until Castle's stitches had been removed by a local doctor. But they'd found plenty of indoor activities to keep them busy in the meantime: lazing around in their private bungalow, watching the endless turquoise waters, enjoying spa treatments and massages, and of course, making love.

Last night, after Rick had fallen asleep, Kate had remained awake, just staring at her handsome husband. She'd swept Castle's hair aside and carefully brushed her fingers over the wound on his forehead. That tiny scar was a reminder that this all could have ended before it had even begun. She had been so very grateful that his injuries hadn't been any more severe. She was looking forward to their life together, their future; to the babies they would raise together. She could imagine him telling their children a wonderful, elaborate tale of how he had come to acquire that scar, and she had no doubt that he'd throw in a Harry Potter reference.

And now it's their last morning on the island. They will fly home this evening; back to New York, to their jobs, to their family, to reality. Kate wants, more than anything, to remember this day, this moment, and this love, for the rest of her life. She's gazing at her husband, who is still sleeping peacefully. He has a beautiful smile on his face. She gently runs her fingers through his rumpled hair, which causes him to stir and open his eyes.

"Good morning," Castle says groggily.

"Good morning, my love," Kate replies.

"Were you staring at me again?" he asks.

"Again?" She smiles. He knows her so well. "Yes," she confesses. "You were smiling in your sleep."

"I was?" She studies him and it looks like he's remembering something. Then he starts smiling again. "I just had the best dream ever," he reveals.

"Do you want to tell me about it?"

"I do." Rick turns toward her, still smiling, and caresses her face. "I dreamt you were pregnant."

"Babe," Kate kisses him and smiles back. "I took a test first thing this morning. That wasn't a dream."

THE END (of my fantasy season six finale)

A/N This story was inspired by a tweet from CastleAddict that I saw right after Sleeper aired. The tweet said: Finale: Rick wakes. WOW what a dream! Goes2courthouse to meet Kate & GETS marriage license #goestoHamptons #dreamweddingep #premierinMaldives

This fic took on a life of its own (like they tend to do). I was originally planning to make it a short one-shot and end it after the first scene. But once I continued, it was so much fun to write all the things we didn't get to see: Alexis's wedding toast, actual dialogue from Jim, a wedding in MAY without a ridiculous delay, Kate saying her vows wearing her mother's wedding dress, and a honeymoon in the Maldives. It was also very satisfying to eliminate all the reasons for the wedding delay with a simple bad dream. Bye-bye, Rogan O'Leary, welcome back, one and done.

Recipe for this story: Take 3/4 of 6.23. Add 1/2 of 7.20. Mix in 1/4 of 7.06 and a dash of 7.01. Combine thoroughly and hopefully the result is a happy ending.

Thanks for reading. I had a blast writing this. And thank you to my wonderful beta, Jo.

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