AN: Well here it is, faithful readers, the end of my story! I have had the most FANTASTIC time writing this story, and an even better time reading all of your gorgeous reviews. So, my fluffy story comes to a close with a chapter that is crazy fluffy, because I couldn't leave you with anything else! It's also SUPER long, and I hope you all enjoy it.

Also, most of you will be (hopefully) pleased to know that I am going to write a sequel - so please keep an eye out for it!

Once again, thank you all SO MUCH. And if you want to leave me one last review to let me know your final thoughts, please feel free :)

I love you all :)

IBYL
xo

Labor Day Weekend, 2012

I woke up Sunday morning, and smiled brightly. The sheets next to me were cool, and it took me a second to realise why, but then I remembered. I was in the Hamptons master suite, and I'd gone to bed by myself last night – after all, it was bad luck for the groom to see the bride before she walked down the aisle, and Rick insisted that we follow tradition. Although I didn't like sleeping alone, I figured that I could handle it for one night. I rolled out of bed and headed downstairs to the kitchen to wait for my two beautiful bridesmaids to wake up. Rick had vacated the place for the night, so it was just Alexis, Lanie, Martha and I in the house. Lanie and Alexis were both bridesmaids, and Martha had been allocated the job of 'Master of Ceremonies' at the reception later, much to her delight. The ceremony and reception were both being held in a pretty tent on the beach, and thankfully the beautiful weather was holding up.

I flicked the coffee machine on and smiled to myself. This was it. The 'big day' was finally here – and I felt like an overexcited child. I honestly could not wait to get dressed up, walk down the aisle and become Mrs Richard Castle. Despite my career and the name I've built for myself as Detective Beckett, I'd long ago decided to change my name – Detective Kate Castle has a nice ring to it, anyway.

My thoughts were interrupted by a new arrival to the kitchen.

"Good morning, Lanie!" I smiled at her, and she scowled. "Coffee's on its way."

"I'd ask what has you so damn cheery but that would be stupid because I know the answer." She took a deep breath and sighed. "Whoa, that was a long sentence for so early in the morning." I laughed at her and she finally cracked a grin.

"Who wouldn't be happy in my situation? I'm getting married, today, to Richard Castle."

"Mhmm, I know. I guess I will be happy too, as soon as my coffee makes an appearance." Just as she finished her sentence, the machine beeped, indicating its completion. I passed over her cup and she took a long sip, before smiling brightly. "Ok, I can be excited now. It's your wedding day!" She gave me a hug then, and I smiled.

"Morning, Kate." A voice sung out across the kitchen and I smiled.

"Morning, Martha. Coffee?" I asked, and she smiled.

"Yes, please. So are you nervous yet?" She asked, and I thought about it briefly before replying.

"You know what? No. I'm not. I'm just stupidly excited."

"I'm glad to hear that." She smiled at me, before taking the coffee I offered and kissing my cheek. "I'm going to go see if Alexis is up, back in a minute."

"Ok, Martha, thank you." I smiled, before turning back to Lanie. "So, the ceremony's at one, which means that I have to start getting ready soon, right?"

"Yep." She affirmed quickly. "Wait until Alexis is up and then you can go get in the shower." Just as Lanie finished her sentence, Alexis padded into the kitchen.

"Morning, guys." She smiled, and I gave her a quick hug.

"Morning, Lex. Coffee?" I smiled.

"Please. Why aren't you in the shower yet?" She asked, and I laughed.

"I wanted to say good morning first – I'm going now, I swear!" Lanie laughed at me as I handed Alexis her cup of coffee and legged it to the bathroom.

An hour later, after a very relaxing shower, I left the bathroom wearing the new robe Rick had gifted me with before he left for the night, and went to fetch my phone. I opened it up and smiled at the new text from Rick.

Only a few hours to go now! I hope you had a relaxed last night of singledom, because I'm never letting you go. I love you. See you at the altar! xoxo

I laughed at that, he was so sweet. I quickly tapped out a response and hit send.

Is 'singledom' even a word, Writer-man? Same goes to you, your bachelorhood is officially finished this afternoon. I love you too, and I'll see you this afternoon – I'll be the one in white! Xxx

I pocketed my phone and headed downstairs, where I could smell breakfast. Lanie was still eating, but Martha and Alexis had disappeared. I quirked an eyebrow at Lanie and she just smiled at me.

"Food's in the oven, Alexis in the shower and Martha has gone to attend to 'last minute details'. She said she'd be back for photos. I'm just finishing my breakfast and then I'm heading in too. Sara is here, she wants to start with you in about 15 minutes – she's setting up in the lounge room now. She'll get the hair done first, and do our make-up a bit later."

"Thanks, Lanie. You're an angel." I smiled, before eating some of the pancake on my plate.

"I know. Alright babe, I'm hitting the shower, see you in a little while." She smiled at me, and I quickly ate before heading into the lounge. The young hairdresser was a friend of Lanie's who I'd met a few times before, and she smiled at me. I couldn't help the grin that spread across my face.

"Hey, Sara. How are you doing?"

"I'm great, thanks. You ready to get started?" She grinned, before arming herself with a hairbrush and starting on my hair. "So we decided on curls, right? Loose ones, for the summery feel?" She asked, checking, and I smiled knowing that Lanie had probably put her up to it.

"Yeah, that sounds right." I smiled, and settled in the chair so that she could start prepping my hair. A few minutes later, Alexis came and sat next to me, wearing a robe similar to mine. I smiled, and we chatted mindlessly about plans for the day. Before long, my hair was finished, and Sara was starting on everyone else's. I kept chatting for a little while but things started to go silent, so I excused myself and headed to the bedroom, and pulled out my phone to text Rick.

Is it bad luck to speak to the groom for real before the ceremony? Xx

Within seconds my phone was ringing, and I laughed before hitting the answer button.

"Hey." I said, and I was absolutely certain that he could hear the smile in his voice.

"I sure as hell hope it's not bad luck." He said quickly, and I laughed.

"I missed you last night. The bed was cold." I murmured, and he laughed.

"I missed you too. A whole lot. And not only because the bed was cold." I chuckled at that. "So why are you calling me instead of squealing with excitement?"

"You called me. And when have you ever known me to squeal?" I asked.

"Fair point. But seriously, what are you doing?"

"I missed you. I wanted to hear your voice. And the girls are getting their hair done, so I thought I'd slip away while I could."

"Awww, my Kate, the romantic. You're such a marshmallow." That got a giggle from me, and I smiled.

"Maybe I am. But you love it."

"That I do, Kate. That I do." He said it softly and my heart melted on the spot. We talked aimlessly for a while before I heard a yell from the lounge room and sighed.

"Sorry, Rick, I'm being summoned. Time to go get pretty."

"You're always pretty." He said without missing a beat, and I laughed.

"And you're always cheesy. I'll see you in a couple of hours, Rick. I love you."

"I love you too, Kate." I smiled before hitting the 'end' button and leaving my room, smiling.

When I got to the lounge, Lex's hair was done and Sara had nearly finished Lanie's. Lanie looked me up and down before sighing.

"You've been on the phone to Writer-boy." She said accusingly, and my jaw dropped.

"How could you possibly have known that?" I asked, stunned, and she just laughed at me.

"Because you've got that whole 'I'm marrying the love of my life' glow going on. It's sickening." She said, and I laughed.

"Fine, you got me. I missed him." Lanie pulled a face at me, and I laughed more. Sara quickly finished Lanie's hair before starting on her make-up. We'd decided a while ago that Alexis really didn't need any make-up, so she was doing her own natural thing in her room while Lanie and I were getting ours done. Lanie and I were chatting with Sara and before long, she had finished with Lanie and started on my make-up.

Time passed quickly, and it was suddenly midday. I looked at the clock and smiled, before heading upstairs to get ready. Sara had quickly fixed my hair, and it was time to put our dresses on and take the first round of wedding photos. The girls had slipped into their dresses. I always swore that I'd never make my bridesmaids wear horrible dresses, but Lanie and Alexis actually had very similar taste, and went shopping together to find dresses that they were both happy to wear. They were beautiful light blue knee-length strapless dresses, made of light chiffon. The dresses were tight at the bust, and flicked out playfully at the waist. The white belt broke up the dress beautifully, and when Alexis entered my room I smiled brightly. She looked stunning – like a princess.

"Your dad is going to flip when he sees you. You're gorgeous." I smiled, and she blushed sweetly.

"I would say the same, but you're not dressed yet!"

"I was waiting for you." I shrugged, and she smiled.

"Come on, now! Dress on, I want to see you!" She laughed, pushing me into the closet and grabbing my dress from the garment bag. I couldn't help but smile when I saw it again – it was absolutely the perfect dress. A pristine white halter-neck dress with an exposed back, which I knew Rick would love. There was very little embellishment on it, and I'd had it fitted to my measurements perfectly. It was full-length and had a very small train on the end, and I'd known as soon as I saw it that it was perfect. I slipped into the dress and Alexis zipped me up, before I looked in the mirror and smiled.

"Wow. I'm in my wedding dress on my wedding day." I murmured softly, and I heard Alexis laugh gently behind me.

"That you are." She agreed, before turning me around and handing me a small jewellery box. "Grams and I decided that we wanted to get you something for today. Grams was looking at necklaces but I saw this and thought it was perfect. It also takes care of your something blue." She smiled, and I flipped the box open. Inside was a gorgeous bracelet with a beautiful blue topaz locket dangling delicately from the chain. The locket matched the bridesmaid's dresses perfectly. I quickly slipped it on before pulling Lex into a hug.

"Thank you, so much. It's beautiful. And you're going to make me cry." I laughed, and she joined in before kissing my cheek softly.

"I love you, Kate."

"I love you too." I smiled, and then I heard a soft knock at the door.

"Come on in, Lanie." I said, and she busted the door open, making us all laugh.

"It's photo time, and then it's show time. You ready?" She asked, and I nodded.

"Absolutely. Let's do it." We wandered downstairs and found Martha waiting with a smile. She came and gave me a hug, whispering in my ear quickly.

"I'm not technically meant to say this for a little while longer, but welcome to the family."

"Thanks, Martha." I smiled, and the photographer apparently snapped a shot of our conversation without my knowledge.

"I have a feeling I'm going to get a lot of great candid shots today." He said quietly, and I laughed a little at that.

"Yeah, probably." I admitted, and he smiled lightly.

"We don't do things the normal way." Alexis said, and Lanie laughed.

"Ain't that the truth." She murmured, and I laughed.

"Come on, time for some real shots." I smiled, before posing with Lanie, Martha and Alexis.

XXX

Soon enough, it was ten to one. Ten minutes, and then I would get to walk down the aisle and marry my beautiful man. I smiled to myself and Lanie rolled her eyes next to me with a gentle laugh.

"I never, ever thought I would see the day that Kate Beckett completely melted because of a man." She said with a shake of her head, before smiling at me, and looking me up and down. "I like the ring. Nice touch." She said with a nod, and I smiled. I was wearing my mum's ring on a much shorter chain, so it was on display. It hurt so much, knowing that she wasn't here with me, but it was important that I had the ring close by. There was a gentle knock at the front door and Martha went to answer it, leading my father inside. I smiled when I saw him, and he choked up a little.

"You look gorgeous, Katie. Just like your mother." He said wistfully, and I had to hold back tears.

"Thanks, Dad. You ready to give me away?" I asked, trying to lighten the mood. It worked.

"I'm as ready as a father is going to get." He sighed, and I smiled.

"Hey, you know I'll be OK. Rick will keep me safe." I murmured, and he smiled.

"I wouldn't be here, doing this, if I didn't approve." He said softly.

"I wouldn't be either." I said with a shrug, and he laughed.

"Come on, Katie. We have an aisle to walk down." He took my arm and walked me out of the back door, toward the beach and my wedding marquee.

Alexis and Lanie walked in ahead of me, and I heard the wedding march start. With a smile at my dad, we wandered into view, and I saw Rick. I felt the tears pool in my eyes instantly, and I had to suppress a giggle at my own expense. Marshmallow, indeed, I thought to myself as I walked.

Within mere seconds I was kissing my dad on the cheek and he handed my arm to Rick with a smile and a handshake. I looked at him and realised that his tears had actually already begun to fall. I couldn't resist and leaned close to his ear.

"Looks like you're a marshmallow too." I murmured, and he laughed lightly, before kissing my cheek. We turned towards Judge Markaway, who had graciously agreed to be our celebrant, and he grinned.

"It appears our bride and groom are sharing another one of their world-famous moments." He said with a smile, and everyone laughed, me included. It was true – Rick and I were great at ignoring the rest of the world. He coughed lightly before beginning the ceremony.

Time flew, and all of a sudden, Judge Markaway looked at us carefully, before addressing the crowd.

"It will come as no surprise that Kate and Rick elected to write their own vows. It will also come as no surprise that Kate elected to read first, and I could never turn her down, so I'll hand over to her now." I smiled and looked at Rick.

"I honestly tried to write something. I really did, but since I'm marrying a world-famous author, I figured that any attempt at prose would be kind of pointless. So instead, I'm just going to talk, and keep it simple." A polite chuckle rolled through the crowd, but I didn't pay any attention. I was too busy looking at Rick.

"Before I met you, I don't think I honestly knew what it was like to have fun in life. I was coasting, and I was working far too hard, and you wormed your way into my life and flipped my world upside down. And, before long, you'd wormed your way into my heart. You bring out the best in me, and occasionally the worst. You make me smile, and laugh, and act like a total sap – but you're still the best thing that's happened to me in a very long time, Richard Castle. You make me the happiest girl in the world, and I'm hoping I can make you the happiest guy until we're old and grey." I smiled at him and he wiped at a tear before squeezing my hand.

"And you, Rick?" Markaway prompted, and he smiled a dazzling smile at me.

"Kate. I don't even know where to begin to talk about you. I've never been one to be lost for adjectives except when it comes to you. The only word that even comes close is 'extraordinary', and somehow that just doesn't seem to be enough anymore. I once said that I thought you were a mystery I was never going to solve, and I still think that's true to this day. Even after so much time together, and the relationship we have, I still don't think I've figured you out. But I promise you, Kate, that I will happily and willingly spend the rest of my life dissecting the pieces of the puzzle that make up the incredible person you are. I want nothing more than to spend forever with you." He smiled at me and the tears started rolling down my cheeks. Judge Markaway smiled at the both of us before asking for the rings. I took Rick's and smiled – I said that he didn't have to wear a wedding ring, but he begged for me to give him one, and I couldn't resist. I slid the ring onto his finger and he beamed, before mimicking my actions. Judge Markaway smiled at us one last time before uttering those all-important words.

"I now pronounce you man and wife, you may kiss the bride."

Rick leaned in and pulled me close, kissing me softly, and I couldn't help but smile.

I was officially a kept woman. And Mrs Richard Castle!

XXX

We left to take some couple shots, and group shots with the rest of the bridal party – Kevin and Javier had shared best man duties, much to their delight. We happily took the photos but Rick managed to sneak me away for a few minutes just before the reception. I kissed him soundly then, and he smiled at me.

"Mrs Kate Castle." He murmured, and I laughed.

"Yep, that would be me." I said with a grin, and he smiled widely before kissing me again.

"I love you so much."

"I love you too. And as much as I would love to stay here with you, we have a party to attend."

"Really? Do we have to?" He moaned lightly, and I laughed.

"Well, husband, the party is for us, so we really should make an appearance." I smiled, and he grinned.

"Whatever you say, wife." He beamed, before taking my hand and leading me towards the marquee.

While we were out taking photos, all of the chairs that were used for guests during the ceremony were shifted, so that they now sat around tables across the tent. A dance floor had been constructed in the centre of the marquee, and 'our' table was directly in front of it. Since Rick and I never do things traditionally, we'd decided not to have the whole bridal party together – instead, the head table was for our immediate family. Martha, my dad, Alexis, Ashley, Rick and I were all sitting together, with various people from the precinct close by. Martha proudly announced our arrival and I laughed as I took a seat, knowing that Rick would ALWAYS use the chance to introduce me as Kate Castle. I kissed his cheek softly and Martha announced that the buffet was open. We'd decided that even though it was early afternoon, we would serve food to everyone who was willing to eat. Rick had declared that sit-down dinners at weddings were too stuffy, and that we were cooler than that – and I found that I couldn't say no. We got up to grab some food, before sitting together to enjoy our first meal as a married couple.

XXX

An hour later, everyone had finished eating, and Martha had once again taken to the microphone. She cleared her throat lightly, smiled at us and then turned to the crowd.

"For those of you who don't know me, I'm Martha, and I've been asked to MC tonight by my lovely new daughter. I believe my son tried to protest this but I've never really been one to listen to him." She laughed lightly, and Rick scowled a little next to me. Martha winked at him, before continuing. "I'm not going to make a big speech, because there's already a couple of great ones to come, but I'd just like to say briefly how happy I am that Kate is one of us, now. Those who know the couple will most definitely attest that it was meant to be, and I'm beyond thrilled that she's a Castle woman. Or a Rodgers woman." She winked at me quickly, and I smiled brightly. "The first speech of the night will be by Rick's best men – Javier and Kevin." The boys stood from their table and headed over to take the microphone. Javier started by looking over at us.

"There was a few moments over the years where we were absolutely certain we would never see Richard Castle again. We won't list them, because that would take forever, but there were times when we were sure that Beckett would walk into work to tell us that she'd killed him and she needed help hiding the body." I laughed at that and he grinned, as Kevin stole the mic.

"Also, Kate, we've decided that since we can't call you Beckett anymore, and Castle is always going to be Castle, we're going to steal one of his more sensible ideas and start calling you KC." Castle fist-pumped and I cracked up laughing. Kevin smiled before continuing. "But seriously, guys, we love you both a whole lot, and we can't wait to see what happens next in this particular saga. Congratulations, guys." Javier nodded and I smiled, leaving my chair and walking over to them, giving them both a hug. They smiled before we all resumed our seats, and Rick grabbed my hand, squeezing it lightly. Martha once again took the mic.

"Now I'm going to hand over to one of the bridesmaids today, Lanie Parrish." Lanie stood and took the mic quickly.

"I'm not going to say a whole lot because I don't know what there is left to say. All I know is that this is the happiest I've ever seen Kate, and I love every second of it. And Writer-Boy, if you ever knock that smile off her face I'll be after you like a shot. Got it?" I laughed, and Rick moaned.

"Seriously, Lanie? Didn't you lot threaten me enough when we first got together?" He cried, and I laughed before jumping on Lanie.

"Love you." I murmured softly into her ear, and she smiled.

"You too." She handed back the microphone to Martha before taking her seat, and I did the same. Martha smiled at everyone before turning to us.

"The last speech we have is probably a bit of a surprise to our bride and groom. Last but not least – Alexis." She grinned at us before standing up, and Rick's jaw dropped.

"She HATES making speechs!" He whispered in shock, and I smiled.

"Surely you know by now that Alexis is full of surprises." I said quietly, but my heart was fluttering with pride for the young girl. She took the microphone from her grandmother and smiled.

"Thanks Grams. For those of you who don't realise why Kate is sitting over there grinning like an idiot and my dad is looking like a goldfish, it's a pretty well-known fact in my house that I don't make speeches. I don't like the limelight – but I decided that my dad and Kate getting married was the perfect reason to take to the microphone. Especially since I'm never going to get this chance again." She winked at me at this, and I could already feel the tears in my eyes. Alexis smiled. "I remember the day my Dad and I met Kate. It was the party for the Storm Fall release, and Dad was complaining that life was too predictable. His exact words were "Just for once, I want someone to come up and say something new." Then Kate walks over and tells him that they have some questions to ask him about a murder. She had perfect timing, and I knew from that second that I'd be hearing more about her. I didn't realise how quickly, though. When Dad started writing Nikki Heat, I knew he was in it for the long haul, and I'm so glad that these two managed to find each other. They've been through so much together." She paused for a second to smile over at us. "When Kate walked into our lives that day, she managed to fill a hole in our family that we didn't know existed. She makes my dad smile, and she loves me, and… well…" she stopped and smiled again. "Kate's just the perfect fit. We didn't know what we were missing until she wandered in. And I definitely didn't know what I was missing. Even though I'm nearly 18, it's really nice to be part of a regular family – to be a girl with a mother and a father – as unconventional as they may be." As soon as she said that, I lost my battle with the tears that formed in my eyes. She looked at me and then laughed a little. "Oh, and now I've made her cry! So I'm just going to stop now before I feel even more awkward, but I just want to say that I love you both and I'm super happy for you." She handed the microphone back to Martha and I ran over to pull her into a hug.

"Alexis, you are beautiful. Thank you so much, for speaking, for… everything." I smiled through the tears and she kissed my cheek.

"I meant it. I always do." She whispered and a fresh round of tears rolled down my face. Thank god for waterproof mascara and eye-liner. Rick came up behind me and wrapped his arms around both of us before whispering something indecipherable to Alexis. Martha smiled before jumping in as well, making us all giggle. She then turned the microphone on and smiled brightly.

"Does anyone else feel like singing 'We Are Family' or is it just me?" She grinned as a wave of laughter rolled around the room. "I think it's time for a dance, don't you? Our couple have each chosen a song, and Rick insisted on going first." Everyone cheered and I laughed. "Keep in mind that they kept these choices a secret from each other, also. God forbid they ever do anything normally." She sighed, and I laughed. "Rick wanted me to tell you all that they chose this song as their first dance because he couldn't resist the similes." She rolled her eyes at him and I laughed, before Rick took my hand and led me to the dance floor. The opening strains of 'Smile' by Uncle Kracker started up, and I laughed. He was such a writer. I pulled my arms around his neck and his hands settled on my waist, as we swayed to the music.

You´re better than the best
I´m lucky just to linger in your light
Cooler then the flip side of my pillow that´s right
Completely unaware
Nothing can compare to where you send me
Lets me know that it´s ok
Yeah it´s ok
And the moments when my good times start to fade

You make me smile like the sun
Fall outta bed
Sing like a bird
Dizzy in my head
Spin like a record
Crazy on a Sunday night

You make me dance like a fool
Forget how to breathe
Shine like gold
Buzz like a bee
Just the thought of you can drive me wild
Oh, you make me smile

Even when you´re gone
Somehow you come along
Just like a flower poking through the sidewalk crack and just like that
You steal away the rain and just like that

You make me smile like the sun
Fall outta bed
Sing like a bird
Dizzy in my head
Spin like a record
Crazy on a Sunday night

You make me dance like a fool
Forget how to breathe
Shine like gold
buzz like a bee
Just the thought of you can drive me wild
Oh, you make me smile

Don´t know how I lived without you
'Cuz every time that I get around you
I see the best of me inside your eyes
You make me smile
You make me dance like a fool
Forget how to breathe
Shine like gold
Buzz like a bee
Just the thought of you can drive me wild

You make me smile like the sun
Fall outta bed
Sing like bird
Dizzy in my head
Spin like a record
Crazy on a Sunday night

You make me dance like a fool
Forget how to breathe
Shine like gold
Buzz like a bee
Just the thought of you can drive me wild
Oh, you make me smile
Oh, you make me smile
Oh, you make me smile

I kissed him as the song ended and smiled. Martha smiled over at me, before speaking.

"Kate picked something a little less conventional, and she wanted me to mention that she's sure you'll all understand exactly what she's talking about." My song, 'My Life Would Suck Without You' by Kelly Clarkson started up and Rick cracked up laughing, before pulling me into an impossibly tight embrace. I couldn't help myself and sang to him softly as we danced.

Guess this means you're sorry
You're standing at my door
Guess this means you take back
All you said before
Like how much you wanted
Anyone but me
Said you'd never come back
But here you are again

'Cause we belong together now, yeah
Forever united here somehow, yeah
You got a piece of me
And honestly,
My life (my life) would suck (would suck) without you

Baby I was stupid for telling you goodbye
Maybe I was wrong for tryin' to pick a fight
I know that I've got issues
But you're pretty messed up too
Either way, I found out I'm nothing without you

'Cause we belong together now, yeah
Forever united here somehow, yeah
You got a piece of me
And honestly,
My life (my life) would suck (would suck) without you

Being with you
Is so dysfunctional
I really shouldn't miss you
But I can't let you go
Oh yeah

'Cause we belong together now, yeah
Forever united here somehow, yeah
You got a piece of me
And honestly,
My life (my life) would suck (would suck) without you

'Cause we belong together now, yeah
Forever united here somehow, yeah
You got a piece of me
And honestly,
My life (my life) would suck (would suck) without you

The song ended and Rick kissed me again. I could hear Lanie laughing and I smiled – I knew that she'd appreciate it, as would Rick. After all, we were never really the type for seriousness. Not when it came to our relationship. After that, we played a whole bunch of sappy songs and I danced with my dad, Martha and Alexis. Everyone else slowly joined in and our reception evolved into a dance party on the beach – exactly how we pictured it. I made sure to dance with all of the important people but I spent majority of the afternoon and night in Rick's arms, exactly where I wanted to be.

XXX

Everyone left for the city as the sun fell. We were staying at the Hamptons for the night before we left for our honeymoon, so we had to say our goodbyes then. Lanie, Esposito, Ryan and Jenny all left together, bidding us farewell briefly. When Lanie gave me a hug, she leant close to my ear.

"You make a beautiful bride. Have tonnes of fun on your honeymoon, and if you don't share the sordid details I will hurt you."

"We'll catch up as soon as I'm back, I promise. Thank you, Lanie. For everything." I smiled, before kissing her cheek softly and ushering the four of them away. My dad had left a little earlier with many of the other guests, so the only people left in the tent with us were Martha and Alexis. When Alexis yawned widely, Martha laughed.

"I think it's time to call it a day, don't you?" She asked, and when Alexis nodded in response, she turned to Rick and I. "It was a beautiful day. Everything you deserved."

"Thank you, Mother." Rick said gently, kissing her cheek.

"Yeah, thank you. You did an amazing job." I smiled, and she wrapped an arm around me.

"You know how I love the spotlight, kiddo. Can't resist it." She kissed my cheek softly. "Come on Alexis, say your goodbyes and we'll head back into the city." Alexis nodded sleepily before giving her dad a hug quickly, and doing the same to me.

"Keep him safe, would you?" She asked, and I smiled.

"Always."

"See you in a couple of weeks, pumpkin." Rick smiled, and we watched as Martha and Alexis walked away. When they were out of sight, Rick turned to me.

"So, Mrs Castle, what's next?"

"Well we've done the wedding and the reception… I guess the only thing left is for you to take me back to the house and have your way with me." I said it with a shrug, and we laughed together before he swung me into his arms and carried me into the house, and into our future together.

It's been amazing, thank you all once again :)